The Mets finally flexed their muscles at the plate on Monday night, as a huge fifth-inning rally lifted them to a 10-4 win over the divison-rival Miami Marlins at loanDepot Park.
Here are some takeaways...
-- Juan Soto produced the Mets' lone hit in Saturday's loss to the Houston Astros, and the superstar slugger naturally arrived in Miami ready to swing. He ripped a 106-mph single in the first inning that ate up Marlins infielder Otto Lopez and rolled into right field. No rally ensued, however.
-- The good news for the Mets is that David Peterson's first inning of the season featured three strikeouts with sharp fastballs and sliders. The bad news is that he sandwiched a mistake pitch in between the outs, as Lopez crushed a sinker to right for a no-doubt solo home run. Peterson allowed just one first-inning run across 21 starts in 2024.
-- The Mets' early struggles with runners in scoring position made the trip to Miami. After a leadoff double from Mark Vientos in the second, Marlins starter Cal Quantrill managed to avoid trouble by inducing a pair of groundouts and a flyout. Peterson also worked out of a second-inning jam that began with two walks and ended with two more punchouts.
-- Due to the birth of his third child, Francisco Lindor was out of the starting lineup, and Starling Marte was called upon to bat leadoff for the first time since 2022. The decision paid off in the third inning, as the veteran outfielder smacked a game-tying solo shot to left-center. Before the game, Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said he chose Marte as the DH over lefty Jesse Winker because the right-handed Quantrill is a reverse-splits pitcher.
-- Peterson was bailed out in the fourth with some defensive help. The first highlight play belonged to Soto, who swiftly tracked down a fly slicing down the right field line with a runner on first and nobody out. Moments later, Peterson induced a grounder that turned into a sharp 3-6-3 double play from Pete Alonso and Luisangel Acuña.
-- New York's lineup finally busted out in the fifth. After a leadoff infield single from Acuña, an RBI double to right-center from Jose Siri gave them a 2-1 lead. Then, with the bases loaded and no outs, Alonso provided clutch power against Quantrill with a grand slam to right-center for his first homer of the season.
-- The hit parade didn't end with Alonso's jack, either. With one on and one out, Luis Torrens drilled a ball deep to center that deflected off of Derek Hall's glove and surprisingly landed over the wall for a two-run blast. The Mets brought 11 batters to the plate for a seven-run fifth inning. Suffice to say, it was sight for sore eyes.
-- Brandon Nimmo, the only Met without a hit through five innings, joined the party in the sixth with a two-run homer to center that bumped the lead to 10-1. The run support was more than enough for Peterson, who in spite of allowing another solo shot in the sixth, completed the half-dozen frames with a laudable nine strikeouts. The southpaw gave up five hits and three walks on 89 pitches.
-- The Mets maintained their early bullpen dominance. Huascar Brazobán made his second appearance in relief this season, completing the seventh and eighth innings with a pair of strikeouts across 28 pitches. Danny Young ultimately closed the door in the ninth but gave up a pair of runs. The bullpen's streak without an earned run allowed ended at 12.1 innings.
