MIAMI - A.J. Ewing picked a good night to announce himself.
The rookie came through with three hits and three RBIs, helping the Mets roll past the Miami Marlins 9-4 on Monday behind a 16-hit attack.
The game flipped in the fourth inning. With the score tied 4-4, Bo Bichette lined a go-ahead RBI single, and Ewing followed with a double that brought in two more runs and pushed the Mets in front 7-4.
Bichette finished with two singles and an RBI, while Marcus Semien doubled twice and also drove in a run for New York.
The Mets had already struck early with two unearned runs in the first. Juan Soto scored from first when second baseman Javier Sanoja threw errantly past shortstop Otto Lopez to left field on an attempted force out, and Bichette came home from third on catcher Joe Mack’s throwing error.
Miami answered in the second with a four-run burst that briefly put the Marlins ahead 4-3. Javier Sanoja drove in a run with a triple, and Graham Pauley capped the inning by hammering Tong’s fastball into the Mets’ bullpen in right for a three-run homer.
The Mets pulled even in the third on Francisco Alvarez’s RBI single, then took control in the fourth and never gave it back.
Jonah Tong, recalled from Triple-A on Monday, got the start for New York and struck out the first four batters he faced. He finished with seven strikeouts in five innings, allowing four runs and four hits, with all of Miami’s damage against him coming in the second.
After Tong exited, four relievers each handled an inning to finish off the six-hitter.
Eury Pérez took the loss for Miami after allowing a season-high seven runs, five earned, and 10 hits in four innings. Over his last three starts, Pérez has given up 18 runs and 21 hits in 11 2/3 innings.
In Other News...
Bo Bichette Is Creating A Mets Problem Fans Can Already See
Bo Bichettes arrival gave the Mets a much-needed boost, but it also came with a layer of roster planning that is already hard to ignore. His deal runs three years with player options after the first two, which means the club does not have anything close to a locked-in answer about whether he will still be around in 2027, even as the immediate fit looks clear.
The bigger wrinkle is what the signing cost and what a better Mets team could cost next. New York already gave up draft picks because of the qualifying offer rules, and if the club keeps climbing and pushes deeper into luxury tax territory, more penalties could follow. Bichettes recent uptick only adds to the uncertainty, since a strong finish would make it more realistic that he tests the market again before the Mets get the long-term stability they were buying. [Read more 🡒]
Mets Prospect Is Already Making His Draft Snub Look Ridiculous
Across the Mets Single-A and High-A ranks, the season brought its share of uneven results, but Aiden Robbins gave the organization something far more encouraging to track. The outfielder, taken in the third round at No. 92 overall, jumped into pro ball quickly and handled 26 games across A-Ball and High-A with a steady bat and enough defensive versatility to give the Mets another look at his long-term value.
What makes Robbins stand out is how much he already looks like a miss by the clubs that let him slide. MLB Pipeline had him ranked as the 29th best amateur prospect, and his early work has only reinforced the idea that New York may have gotten a little extra value on draft day. The larger question now is whether that strong first impression keeps growing as he settles in against tougher pitching and a bigger stage. [Read more 🡒]
Marcus Semien Just Put A Real Mets Job Battle In Play
Marcus Semiens first stretch in Queens has already created a much different conversation than the Mets expected when they brought him in, and it goes beyond a few quiet weeks at the plate. With two years left on his contract, he still carries plenty of weight in the organization, and president of baseball operations David Stearns has made clear that Semiens effort and defense remain part of the clubs belief in him. Even so, the Mets also need more offense from a player they envisioned as a stabilizing presence, which is why next season is shaping up to be about more than just a rebound.
Spring training could turn second base into a real competition, with Jefferson Rojas, Mitch Voit and milien Pitre all in the mix to push for time. Semiens experience and defensive reliability still give him a strong case to hold the job, but the Mets have left themselves enough room to challenge the spot if the bat does not come around. For a team trying to sort out its future infield, that makes this one of the more interesting position battles to watch. [Read more 🡒]