MIAMI — The sound of boos echoed through Lawn Depot Park on Friday night, though it wasn’t directed at the home team.
No, this was the familiar chant from Mets fans, who routinely fill the stadium when their team visits South Florida.
Brandon Sproat struggled during his second time through the batting order, and Gregory Soto didn’t help matters. After the first inning, the Mets couldn’t seem to touch Sandy Alcantara, leading to a 6-2 loss to the Marlins that complicated their playoff hopes.
The Reds managed a 3-1 victory in Milwaukee, reclaiming the third Wild Card spot in the National League, maintaining their tiebreaker advantage over the Mets.
“We put ourselves in this position,” said coach Carlos Mendoza. “We need to win the next two games and see where that takes us, but it’s on us.”
Pete Alonso faced questions about the Mets potentially missing the postseason this year.
“We’re not done yet, so we’ll deal with that later,” Alonso responded. “We just need to win tomorrow, and hopefully, we won’t have to confront that reality.”
Adding to the Mets’ woes, Brett Baty exited the game in the second inning with an oblique injury, potentially ending his season. Sproat had given the Mets a 2-0 lead in the fifth but couldn’t finish strong. In total, he allowed four runs on five hits with two strikeouts and one walk, failing to pitch more than five innings for the second consecutive game.
“They strung together some hits, but it just didn’t go my way,” Sproat commented.
Francisco Lindor hit his 11th home run of the season, taking a 94 mph sinker over the center-right fence. Alonso’s RBI in the first helped the Mets get a 2-0 jump, but that lead didn’t last long. Baty, who felt discomfort from a swing earlier, was replaced by Ronnie Mauricio in the second inning.
“Of course I want to play,” Baty said. “With only two days left, I hope there’s a chance for me to get back out there.”
Heriberto Hernández hit a crucial two-run triple in the fifth, leveling the game at 2-2 after a deflected ball that Alonso couldn’t snag. “It’s just great to make contact in those situations,” Alonso reflected.
After Agustin Ramirez’s single and timely steals, the Marlins took a 4-2 lead with an RBI single from Xavier Edwards. Connor Norby then hit his first career home run, pushing the Marlins’ lead to 6-2.
Mendoza noted, “It seemed like they had our pitcher figured out. Soto is a lefty, and with runners on base, it really shifts the game.”
In the eighth, the Mets had a chance to close the gap following a Marlins error, but pinch hitter Mark Vientos struck out, ending that opportunity.
Alcantara managed to hold the Mets to just two earned runs off six hits over seven innings, with two walks and three strikeouts. “We got off to a good start, but we need to figure out a way to get him out of the game,” Alonso emphasized.
