The New York Mets mounted another late-inning comeback Sunday afternoon as Starling Marte hit a two-run, eighth-inning homer to lift the hosts to a 5-4 win over the Cleveland Guardians in the first game of a doubleheader.
The Mets, who squandered a 3-0 lead in the top of the eighth, have won four straight, including three in their last at-bat. New York won 10-inning affairs on walk-off hits by Pete Alonso on Wednesday and Francisco Lindor on Friday.
The Guardians have lost four of five.
The Mets took their lead on a fourth-inning RBI single by Eduardo Escobar, a sixth-inning sacrifice fly by Gary Sanchez and a seventh-inning homer by Brandon Nimmo. The Guardians stormed back in the top of the eighth, when Myles Straw (groundout) and Amed Rosario (single) had RBIs before Jose Ramirez hit a two-run homer.
But Brett Baty drew a leadoff walk against Trevor Stephan (2-2) before Marte homered to right for his first round-tripper since April 7.
David Robertson (2-0) gave up Ramirez’s homer but threw the last 1 1/3 innings to get the win.
The Mets left the bases loaded in the second, when Nimmo grounded out to first for the final out, before they went ahead by mounting a two-out rally in the fourth against the Guardians’ Tanner Bibee. Daniel Vogelbach walked and Sanchez singled before Escobar singled to right to score Vogelbach — with Sanchez being thrown out at home for the final out of the inning.
The Mets added another run in the sixth. Pete Alonso led off with a single and went to third on a single by Baty. After Marte grounded out, Vogelbach drew another walk to load the bases. Alonso then raced home on Sanchez’s flyout to center.
Nimmo led off the seventh with his first homer since May 5.
Tyler Freeman led off the eighth with a double against Adam Ottavino, moved to third on a groundout by pinch-hitter Bo Naylor and scored on Straw’s grounder to first. Steven Kwan doubled and scored on Rosario’s single before Ramirez homered.
Max Scherzer started the game for the Mets. He entered the game with a 7.56 ERA over two starts in May but baffled the Guardians, scattering three hits and a walk over six scoreless innings. He struck out five.
Bibee was touched for two runs and seven hits in his six innings, giving up four walks with three strikeouts.
–Field Level Media
