Mets open doubleheader with blowout win over Marlins

The Mets blew out the Marlins in the first game of their doubleheader today at Citi Field, scoring eleven runs and allowing only two. If that’s how the Marlins are going to play, the fact that they would have to start Braxon Garrett on short rest on Sunday won’t even matter in the National League Wild Card race.

Following a postponement of the series opener last night because of unplayable conditions at Citi Field, plenty of sanctimonious words were written about the Mets’ management of their field. The Marlins—the first team in the history of baseball to deal with adversity in the final week of a playoff hunt, apparently—desperately needed Braxton Garrett to pitch on Monday and again on Sunday on regular rest to get into the playoffs.

But the Mets had no problem handling Garrett, as Pete Alonso and Francisco Lindor each hit a two-run home run against him. Perhaps in a last-ditch effort to make Garrett available on Sunday, the Marlins turned to the bullpen after he had thrown just four innings. And the Mets poured on seven more runs against Miami’s relief corps. Those four runs that they scored early would have been plenty, as it turned out, but there will be no complaints here about turning a close game into an easy win.

Much credit goes to Joey Lucchesi, too, as the lefty went six innings and allowed just two runs on seven hits. In his time in the big leagues this year, he has a 2.89 ERA.

Box scores

MLB.com
ESPN

Win Probability Added

FanGraphs

What’s WPA?

Big Mets winner: Pete Alonso, +20.9% WPA
Big Mets loser: none
Mets pitchers: +22.5% WPA
Mets hitters: +27.5% WPA
Teh aw3s0mest play: Pete Alonso hits a two-run home run in the first, +18.0% WPA
Teh sux0rest play: Jon Berti hits a double in the second, -4.1% WPA