Gut Reaction: Mets 7, Marlins 3 (4/1/19)

On April Fools’ Day, the Mets and Miami Marlins treated us to some foolish baseball. Miscues and misplays — with a generous dash of fine pitching, to be fair — were the story of this game.

Caleb Smith struck out the New Yorks pretty easily in the top of the first, expending a scant 15 pitches in the process. Steven Matz wasn’t so skillful in his first inning of the year. In striking out the leadoff batter Miguel Rojas, his fastball skipped on past catcher Wilson Ramos, whose errant throw skipped on past Pete Alonso at first. Having to get four outs, now, Matz tried to bear down. The next batter, left fielder Rosell Herrera hit a humpback liner to Amed Rosario at short, who also threw wildly to first — where he had Rojas nailed, dead-to-rights. It seemed Matz would be able to escape those mishaps when the next hitter, Brian Anderson flied out deep to Juan Lagares in right center. Starlin Castro, however, made Matz pay for a flat breaking-ball with a long, long homer over the left field stands.

Smith’s magic deserted him for a bit in the top of the second. After J.D. Davis skied out to center, Michael Conforto got the Mets their first hit of the evening, a single to center. Ramos then hit a worm-burner up the middle for a base hit. Jeff McNeil roped a double just inside the right field line and the Mets were on the board. They drew even in the fourth when Davis poleaxed a fastball off the right center field fence for a leadoff double. After a frustrated Conforto struck out, Davis crossed to third on Ramos’s grounder to short. He scored when Smith sent a short slider by his catcher Jorge Alfaro and all the way to the backstop.

For his part, Matz was able to settle down, retiring seven straight batters from the second through the fourth. That string was broken when first baseman Martin Prado led off with single up the middle — after McNeil had mangled a foul fly in left. Smith, meanwhile, had struck out eight men through five innings, when his day was done. Now, if the Mets could solve the very young Miami bullpen…

They couldn’t, at least not right away. Nick Anderson came on to start the sixth, striking out Robinson Cano and Davis. Conforto scalded a single to right and Ramos sent him to third with a single of his own, but McNeil struck out on a nasty curve. In the bottom half, we learned that J.D. Davis may not be the answer at third base. After Rojas poked a clean single to right, Herrera hit a one-hopper to third, where Davis double-clutched and threw softly to Cano at second, scuttling any chance at a double-play. Anderson then hit a looping single to center, where Herrera made a foolish challenge of Lagares’s arm. The throw skipped in to Davis though and went on past him, putting runners at second and third. Castro hit a skipper just past Davis’s dive and the Marlins had the lead. Mets manager Mickey Callaway pulled Matz, who really deserved better. Tim Peterson came in quell the nonsense and coaxed a 6-4-3 double play from the speedy Lewis Brinson.

Lagares made Davis feel better in the top of the seventh, though, blasting an opposite field homer off new Marlins pitcher, Tyler Kinley. It was Lagares’s first circuit clout since 2017. Bad luck befell the Mets when Davis drew a one-out walk in the eighth against the fireballing Adam Conley, who then clipped Conforto on the forearm with a fastball. Ramos hit a bounder off Conley’s hand, which became an easy double-play. Jeurys Familia set down the Marlins in order in the bottom half. Dom Smith pinch-hit for him leading off the ninth and hit a shift-beating single off Miami closer Drew Steckenrider. Lagares couldn’t get a bunt down, but was hit on the hand trying, as confirmed by replay review. Brandon Nimmo — double-switched in when way back when Matz was removed — struck out but Rosario pushed a single to right field and the burly Smith chugged home with the Mets’ first lead of the night. It got bigger when Alonso deposited his first Major League home run over the fence in dead center.

Edwin Diaz walked Castro leading off the ninth, then surrendered a base hit past Davis by Brinson and a poke to the other side by Prado. With the bases now loaded, Alfaro struck out on a ball down out of the zone and Peter O’Brien — the fans’ favorite — did the same on a check swing. J.T. Riddle pinch hit and whiffed on a ridiculous 3-2 slider for the Mets’ third win in four tries.

Jason Vargas takes on Juan Urena tomorrow at 7:10.