Final Score: Marlins 4, Mets 3—Just Short

It was a tale of two innings for Mets’ starter Michael Wacha last night at Citi Field. Wacha started with a flourish, looking impressive while striking out the side in the top of the first. After Pete Alonso just missed staking the Mets to an early lead with a double off the top of the left center wall in the bottom of the inning, Wacha went out for the top of the second, where he was...less successful.

After a walk and an infield single with one out, Wacha surrendered an opposite field three-run home run to Francisco Cervelli. Unable to stop the bleeding, Wacha walked Magneuris Sierra and surrendered an RBI double to Jonathan Villar to put his team in an early 4-0 hole. Dom Smith got one back in the bottom of the frame with a blast into the second deck in right field.

The Mets went incredibly quietly over the middle innings—at one point 13 straight Mets were retired between the third and seventh innings, as the game got a bit sloppy at times in a slow, steady rain. But Chasen Shreve and Jared Hughes kept the score where it was, giving the Mets the opportunity to write a tale they have too often already in this young short season—another rally that would come up a bit short.

The Mets rallied for two runs in the bottom of the eighth, but a combination of some fine Marlins defense—with Eddy Alvarez snagging a Jeff McNeil line drive, yet another failed attempt to get a tying run home from third with less than two outs—on a Dom Smith pop out, and the preternaturally slow foot speed of Wilson Ramos led to the rally coming up frustratingly short. The team went quietly in the ninth as the surprising Marlins won their sixth straight game.

Full recap to follow.

GameThread Roll Call

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

1. MetsFan4Decades: 117
2. stickguy: 98
3. Knurk: 65
4. Kepler: 53
5. LouMonte7: 40
6. Grand-Slam Single: 36
7. The Glider: 30
8. AnneInFlushing: 29
9. doctor prancer: 23
10. JR and the Off-Balance Shots: 22