NEW YORK – Miguel Rojas’ two-run single capped a three-run second inning and four pitchers combined on an eight-hitter to lead the Miami Marlins past the New York Mets 4-0 on Tuesday night in the first game of a doubleheader.
It was the Mets’ first game since a player and a coach tested positive for the coronavirus.
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The Mets put runners on in every inning against the quartet of Dan Castano, Richard Bleier, Brad Boxberger and Brandon Kintzler but went 1 for 12 with runners on base. Castano, a rookie left-hander making his fourth big league start, allowed six hits and three walks with one strikeout over 4 2/3 innings but was pulled an out before qualifying for his first big league win.
Bleier (1-0) earned the win by retiring the only batter he faced, Robinson Cano, to strand two.
The Marlins scored all their runs against Rick Porcello (1-4) with a pair of two-out rallies.
In the second, Brian Anderson hit a leadoff double and Jorge Alfaro was hit by a pitch with one out before Anderson scored on Lewis Brinson’s single. Alfaro and Brinson scored on the hit by Rojas.
In the third, Anderson doubled with two outs and scored on Lewin Diaz’s single.
Porcello allowed four runs on five hits and no walks while striking out four over three innings before exiting after a 65-minute rain delay.
J.D. Davis and Michael Conforto had two hits each for the Mets.
The twin bill is the first of three scheduled over the next five days for the Mets, who had last Thursday’s series finale against the Marlins postponed as well as a three-game series against the New York Yankees. The Big Apple rivals are penciled in for twin bills at Yankee Stadium on Friday and Sunday.
RAIN RAIN GO AWAY
The opener was delayed in the middle of the third inning as a torrential storm swept over Citi Field. The winds were so fierce that the tarp unfurled, from home plate to the pitcher’s mound, and required the grounds crew to sit atop it, with heavy rains swirling until six carts could be strategically placed atop the tarp.
DONNIE (NINE INNING) BASEBALL
A few hours before the Marlins began their third doubleheader in three weeks, manager Don Mattingly said he understands why twin bills consist of seven-inning games but admitted it’s his least favorite of the features Major League Baseball has implemented in this pandemic-truncated season.
Mattingly pointed to the Marlins’ doubleheader Saturday — when they fell to the Washington Nationals, 5-4, in the opener before earning a 5-3 win in the nightcap — as examples of games that might have turned out differently had they lasted nine innings. Miami fell behind 4-0 in its loss and held on after opening a 4-1 lead in the victory.
“I guess it’s fair to both teams,” Mattingly said. “But that seven innings, it doesn’t seem like a full game to me.”
TRAINER’S ROOM
Mets: In a flurry of moves prior to their first game since last Wednesday, the Mets placed IF Andres Gimenez and C Tomas Nido on the IL for undisclosed reasons and recalled OF Juan Lagares and OF Patrick Mazeika from their alternate training site in Brooklyn. ... The team also announced third base coach Gary DiSarcina and bench coach Hensley Meulens are away indefinitely for undisclosed reasons. Tony DeFrancesco replaced DiSarcina while quality control coach Brian Schneider added bench coach to his duties. ... The Mets said they will not identify players or staff member who test positive for coronavirus.
Marlins: OF Corey Dickerson, who left Sunday’s game with a left shoulder contusion, started for the second straight day and went 0 for 3.
UP NEXT
Mets: Two-time reigning NL Cy Young Award winner Jacob deGrom (2-0, 1.93 ERA) is scheduled to pitch for the first time since Aug. 19, when he blanked the Marlins over six innings. The Mets didn’t pitch deGrom Tuesday because he didn’t get his usual between starts mound work in until Monday.
Marlins: Elieser Hernandez (1-0, 2.29 ERA) is looking to win back-to-back starts for the first time as a big leaguer.
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