The Mets got the kind of win that looks comfortable on the scoreboard and messy everywhere else behind it.
They jumped on Sandy Alcantara early, stacked runs in the first two innings, and kept the pressure on long enough to build a 7-0 cushion. That mattered, because Sean Manaea’s night turned sideways in the sixth. Even with that collapse, the Mets held on for a 7-5 win over the Marlins.
Francisco Lindor set the tone immediately, launching the first pitch he saw from Alcantara over center field to open the game with a homer. Juan Soto and Bo Bichette followed with walks, and Soto crossed the plate on Jared Young’s single into center.
By the time A.J. Ewing grounded out to end the inning, the Mets were already up 2-0.
Manaea, meanwhile, cruised through the first. Ewing and Carson Benge helped him keep the Marlins off the board, and he got through the inning on four pitches.
The second inning brought even more damage from the Mets offense. Francisco Alvarez singled to left, Lindor was hit on the elbow, and Soto then crushed a three-run homer to center.
Benge walked, was initially called out trying to steal second, and then was ruled safe after a Mets challenge. He still ended up stranded, but the damage was done: 5-0 Mets.
Brett Baty added to it in the third, hammering a two-out homer to center. Lindor then helped Manaea again with the glove, laying out to steal a hit from Jakob Marsee and help finish another clean inning. The Mets’ offense quieted down for a stretch after that, aside from Soto’s double in the fourth.
They found one more burst in the fifth. Jared Young walked, Ewing doubled into right with one out, and Tyler Zuber came in for Alcantara.
Baty then brought Young home with a sacrifice fly. Manaea kept dealing through the bottom of the inning, and the Mets were in full control at 7-0.
Then came the sixth, and it changed everything.
Dax Fulton took over for Zuber, and the Mets’ bats went down in order. Manaea, who had been sharp for five innings, suddenly lost the zone and the Marlins made him pay.
Jakob Marsee singled, moved up on a Baty error, and Jared Serna followed with an RBI double. Brian Navarreto added another RBI double, Heriberto Hernández singled, and Otto Lopez drove in another run with a single that sent Manaea to the dugout.
He was done after 61 pitches, and the inning wasn’t over yet.
Jonathan Pintaro inherited the mess with no outs recorded. He got Agustín Ramírez to bounce into a double play, but Javier Sanoja then singled in another run.
A.J. Ewing’s throw home was high and offline, letting Sanoja take third.
Griffin Conine finally ended the inning with a popout to Alvarez in foul territory, but the lead had shrunk to 7-4.
The Mets didn’t add anything in the seventh after Benge walked to start the inning, and the Marlins kept poking at the bullpen. Nate Lavender allowed a single to Marsee and a double to Serna in the bottom of the seventh, but both runners were left there. Dedniel Núñez handled the eighth cleanly.
In the ninth, Jack Ralston entered for Fulton but had pitch-com issues before he could get going. Bo Bichette singled with one out and was replaced by Nick Morabito, who moved up on a wild pitch. But Benge struck out and Young grounded out, leaving the run on second.
Kodai Senga handled the final frame for the Mets, though not without a little more stress. Joe Mack’s at-bat included a kerfuffle, but he still drilled a ground-rule double to right-center.
Jakob Marsee then ripped an RBI double to left to bring Mack home. Senga shut the door after that, striking out the next two batters with the ghost fork and ending it at 7-5.
The Mets will try to finish the sweep tomorrow at 6:40 PM, with Robert Stock set to pitch for New York and Janson Junk going for the Marlins.
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