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 Rookie left-hander Adam Conley allowed three hits over seven shutout
innings Wednesday night and third baseman Martin Prado, catcher J.T.
Realmuto and first baseman Justin Bour all hit solo homers as the
Marlins blanked the Mets 6-0 at Citi Field.
The Marlins (63-83) won their second straight to take a three-game
series from the Mets for the second time this month. Miami, which
hasn't enjoyed a winning season since 2009, is 10-4 overall in
September and has won its last five series.
"I think the thing for me that makes me most proud is that these
guys are playing the game the right way," Marlins manager Dan
Jennings said "It creates fun. And they're having fun. We're having
fun right now."
In the process, the Marlins are slowing down what once seemed to be
the unstoppable Mets (83-63), who have already clinched their first
winning season since 2008. Only one other team, the Houston Astros,
entered this year without a winning season since 2008 but the Astros
are five wins away from assuring themselves of finishing over .500.
"I feel like if we were in that position, they would do the same
thing to us," Prado said. "A team like us, rebuilding, in the past
100 years has been doing the same thing."
Or, in the Marlins' case, the last eight years. The Mets were
knocked out of the playoffs on the final day of the season in both
2007 and 2008 by the Marlins.
As for 2015, the Mets saw their National League East lead over
Washington fall to 7 1/2 games and their magic number remain at 10
by virtue of the Nationals' 11-2 win over the Philadelphia Phillies.
New York had an eight-game winning streak snapped Tuesday and is
34-15 since July 25.
"We had such an emotional high coming out of Atlanta," manager Terry
Collins said of the Mets, who came back from a three-run deficit in
the ninth inning of a 10-7, 10-inning win over the Braves on Sunday.
"I think you're seeing a little bit of drainage."
Jennings, who was in the Marlins' front office from 2002 until he
was named manager on May 18, is the only link to the Marlins squads
that knocked the Mets out of the playoffs in 2007 and 2008. But he
hopes the experiences of this season can help Miami move into
contention next year.
"What we're looking to do right now is finish on a positive run and
carry that over the winter and coming into 2016 understanding that
the talent is here to play against these guys who are going to be
playing this postseason," Jennings said.
The win Wednesday could be a particularly valuable building block
for Conley (4-1), who didn't last more than six innings in any of
his first seven career starts. But he retired the first 10 Mets
batters he faced before third baseman David Wright doubled to left.
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Wright (2-for-4) was the only Mets player to get as far as second
base against Conley, who walked none and struck out three.
"The plan was to attack the zone, was to get ahead of guys, was to
be aggressive," Conley said. "Just to pretty much say 'I'm going to
throw you my best stuff and if you get me I'll tip my hat to you.'
But today it worked out for me."
Mets right-hander Bartolo Colon (14-12) faced the minimum through 3
2/3 innings before Prado homered to left. Realmuto homered in the
fifth. Bour lofted a sacrifice fly in the sixth and homered in the
eighth.
Second baseman Dee Gordon and center fielder Christian Yelich had
back-to-back RBI singles in the ninth. Gordon, Prato and Realmuto
all finished with two hits. Gordon's 2-for-5 effort lifted his
batting average to .332, six points behind Nationals outfielder
Bryce Harper for the NL lead.
Colon (14-12) took the loss after allowing three runs on seven hits
and one walk while striking out two over 5 2/3 innings for the Mets,
who were shutout for the first time since July 23.
"There's going to be days where we get outplayed," Wright said. "And
today we got outplayed in every area of the game."
NOTES: RHP Matt Harvey will start for the Mets in the finale of this
weekend's Subway Series against the Yankees. Starting Harvey on
Sunday allows the Mets, who are trying to keep him at or around 180
regular season innings, to skip him one more time but still have him
available for the final series of the season against the Washington
Nationals Oct. 2-4. ... Mets manager Terry Collins seemed
pessimistic that LHP Dario Alvarez, who suffered a groin injury
Tuesday and underwent an MRI on Wednesday, would be available
anytime soon. ... Marlins manager Dan Jennings turned 55 Wednesday.
... Jennings said Marlins RF Giancarlo Stanton (broken left hamate
bone) got a clean bill of health from a hand doctor Monday and just
needs to regain strength in the hand before he can return to the
lineup.
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