Pablo Lopez pitched six innings, JJ Bleday hit a two-run homer and the visiting Miami Marlins knocked the New York Mets out of sole possession of first place in the National League East with a 6-4 victory on Tuesday night.
The Mets (97-58) fell into a tie for first in the division for the second time this season when the Atlanta Braves (97-58) closed out an 8-2 victory over the Washington Nationals. New York has held sole possession of the division lead for every day except April 11, Sept. 6 and Sept. 9.
Lopez (10-10), who entered with an 11.34 ERA in four starts against the Mets this year, allowed three runs on five hits. All three runs came on a homer by Pete Alonso, who became the first player in New York history with multiple 40-homer seasons.
Lopez, who was handed a lead before he threw a pitch, struck out five and walked none.
After Miguel Rojas was hit by a pitch in the first and Brian Anderson and Garrett Cooper had consecutive singles to load the bases, Bryan De La Cruz lifted a sacrifice fly for a 1-0 lead. Anderson scored on a wild pitch to make it 2-0.
The Marlins opened a 4-0 cushion when Bleday hit a 2-1 for the fifth homer of his rookie season.
After New York’s Brandon Nimmo and Francisco Lindor opened the fourth with consecutive hits before Jeff McNeil popped out, Alonso hit a 2-2 changeup out to left field.
Anderson collected three hits and Jacob Stallings hit a two-run single for the Marlins (64-90), who collected 11 hits overall.
Miami lost Cooper to a fractured left hand when he was hit by a pitch from Trevor Williams in the fifth.
Miami loaded the bases in the fifth and extended its lead to 6-3 on Stallings’ bloop single to center.
The Mets dropped to 46-23 against divisional opponents as Carlos Carrasco (15-7) allowed four runs on six hits in three innings. It ended a career-high streak of the right-hander allowing three earned runs or fewer in 12 consecutive starts, and he lost for the first time in 10 career starts against the Marlins.
Miami’s Huascar Brazoban pitched a scoreless seventh and Richard Bleier withstood three balks that allowed McNeil to score and led to his and manager Don Mattingly’s ejection in the eighth.
Dylan Floro struck out the side in the ninth for his eighth save.
–Field Level Media
