Mets Swept in Miami

The Mets departed New York on a high note last week, having swept the Yankees in a four-game set before heading to Miami. Sadly their fortune was entirely reversed by the trip to Florida, beginning with a 5-1 loss on Friday. Collin McHugh was given a spot start on Saturday, and the Marlins had little trouble knocking him out of the game.

McHugh gave up an RBI single in both the first and second inning, then allowed two more runs to score in the fourth on a sacrifice fly and a triple midway through the inning. He was taken out after allowing a single to start the fifth.

The bullpen fared no better, as Carson and Burke combined to allow four more runs in the seventh. Justin Turner hit an RBI double in the eighth, giving the Mets their only run in what would be an 8-1 loss.

Despite having Matt Harvey on the mound, Sunday’s close to the series did not start any better for New York. With two runners on in the first, Harvey gave up a double followed by a bases-clearing triple to put his team down 3-0 before getting out of the inning. Lucas Duda homered at the start of the second to cut the deficit, but an RBI single from Ed Lucas in the bottom half put the Marlins back up by 3.

The Mets did manage to climb back into the game, repaying Harvey for being one of their sole bright spots this season by keeping his record free of a credited loss thus far. Omar Quintanilla hit a solo shot in the third and Ike Davis hit a two-run homer in the fourth to tie the game at 4 apiece. A pair of RBI singles from Marlon Byrd and Davis in the fifth even gave the team a 6-4 lead and put Harvey in position for a win, but things took a turn for the worse after Turner was brought in to pinch hit for the pitching ace in the top of the sixth.

The Marlins scored 3 runs in the bottom of the sixth off Scott Rice, then 1 more in the seventh off Brandon Lyon. LaTroy Hawkins gave up a 3-run homer in the eighth, handing the Mets their third straight loss by a final score of 11-6.

Miami has the worst record in baseball, but that sweep was the second time they took a series from New York this season. Now 10 games under .500 once again, the Mets will head to Washington at 7:05 PM tonight to try yet again to establish a winning streak. They will host Miami immediately after the current series with the Nationals.

 

Red Sox Rain on Yankees’ Parade

With the return of Mark Teixeira and Kevin Youkilis, the Yankees snapped their 5-game losing streak when the Red Sox came to town on Friday. Following that 4-1 win, however, Boston thrashed New York in Game 2. Phil Hughes gave up the first run of the game in the third inning, then loaded the bases and gave up a grand slam to Mike Napoli.

Chris Stewart drove in a run in the fourth, but the Yankees were not able to add any more support. Phil Hughes left the game in the fifth and the bullpen held the Sox down until the eighth, when Adam Warren gave up a 3 run homer. He allowed 3 more in the ninth, putting the Yankees down 11-1.

Sunday’s close to the series was delayed 45 minutes for fear of inclement weather, though no rain fell during that period. With a late start to a game that was already scheduled to being at 8 o’clock for prime time audiences, Hiroki Kuroda and Clay Buchholz went to work on their opposing lineups.  Both men kept the game scoreless through three innings, but Kuroda gave up a run in the fourth followed by a solo homerun in the fifth. David Ortiz kicked off the sixth inning with a solo shot of his own, putting the Yanks down 3-0.

Shortly thereafter, actual rain began to pelt the stadium, forcing a 37 minute delay. The players took the field again just long enough to finish the top of the sixth before another delay was called, eventually leading to the game being called after five-and-a-half innings, giving Boston a 3-0 win.

That series not only put New York 3 games behind Boston in the standings, but also raised concerns Teixeira would continue his tradition of cold starts despite entering the season two months late. Though he played a pivotal role in Game 1, Tex ended up going 1 for 9 in his first three games this year.

When the Indians came to the Bronx last night, Teixeira looked to silent any who doubted him. After Andy Pettitte gave up a run in the top of the third, Mark muscled a grand slam in the bottom of the inning to put the Bronx Bombers up 4-1 and make up for lost time in the RBI column on his stat sheet. Pettitte gave up 3 more runs in the fifth, tying the game at 4 apiece, but Brett Gardner brought Suzuki and Romine home on a single in the sixth to take back the lead.

Travis Hafner contributed a homer in the seventh, establishing a 7-4 lead for New York and allowing Mariano Rivera plenty of breathing room two innings later. Rivera retired three of four batters, collecting his 20^th save in the process.

The Yankees will continue their series with Cleveland at 7:05 PM tonight, then finish it at 1:05 PM tomorrow. They now stand 2.5 games behind the Red Sox.