Final Score: Marlins 8, Mets 4—Right Where They Left Off

The Mets did not start the second half off on the right foot, as they dropped their first game after the All-Star break to the Marlins in Miami. Jason Vargas, who had put together quite the first half after his initial struggles to start the season, scuffled in one of his poorer performances since April.

There was not a hit in the game by either side until the third inning, but the Mets handed Vargas a 2-0 lead, despite Vargas not helping his own cause by bunting into a double play. But the Mets put together a two-out rally, thanks to a hit from Jeff McNeil, back-to-back walks by J.D. Davis and Pete Alonso, and an RBI single by Wilson Ramos.

Vargas immediately gave back the lead in the bottom of the third and then some, surrendering back-to-back home runs to Curtis Granderson and Garrett Cooper to give the Marlins a 4-2 lead. The Marlins hit an additional home run off Robert Gsellman in sixth after Gsellman had already allowed his inherited runner to score, breaking the game open at a 7-2 score.

Chris Mazza, newly called back up to the big leagues, pitched a 1-2-3 seventh inning, but gave up a run in the eighth inning on a walk and a Starlin Castro triple. He avoided the big inning thanks in part to a double play ball off the bat of Jorge Alfaro. Mickey Callaway turned to Luis Avilan to get the final out on the inning, but he did not have to do much. He threw a wild pitch to J.T. Riddle and Starlin Castro was tagged out at the plate trying to score.

Meanwhile, the Mets failed to mount anything even approaching a rally off Caleb Smith after their two-run third inning. He struck out six Mets over his six innings of work, but also walked five. Jarlin Garcia and Elieser Hernandez each logged a scoreless inning for the Fish, but Todd Frazier launched a two-run homer in the bottom of the ninth off Adam Conley to cut the Marlins’ lead to 8-4. But that’s all the Mets would manage, as they fall to 11 games under .500 for the season to start the second half.

Full recap to follow.

GameThread Roll Call

Nice job by MetsFan4Decades; her effort in the GameThread embiggens us all.

1. MetsFan4Decades: 105
2. MookieTheCat: 90
3. John Oldnrude: 68
4. JR and the Off-Balance Shots: 54
5. Knurk: 31
6. AnneInFlushing: 26
7. doctor prancer: 25
8. Rajohnnn: 24
9. LouMonte7: 23
10. Jets Mets Devils Nets 16: 22