NEW YORK (AP) — Derek Hill delivered a tiebreaking single with two outs in the eighth inning that sent the Miami Marlins to a 3-2 victory over the New York Mets on Sunday.
Nick Fortes had a sacrifice fly and Hill scored on a wild pitch for the last-place Marlins, who prevented a three-game sweep. Miami became the first team to win a game in which it had three runners picked off since the New York Yankees beat Toronto 4-2 in June 1991.
Andrew Nardi (3-1) struck out two and Declan Cronin got pinch-hitter J.D. Martinez to ground into an inning-ending double play in the eighth. Calvin Faucher earned his third save with a scoreless ninth.
Francisco Lindor made a bid for a three-run homer in the ninth, but Cristian Pache ran down his long drive on the center-field warning track.
Lindor had an RBI single in the fifth for the Mets, who entered Sunday one game back of Atlanta for the third NL wild card. Lindor is hitting .358 (19 for 53) with eight RBIs during a 12-game hitting streak.
Mets left fielder Brandon Nimmo hit a 425-foot homer in the sixth and saved a run with a diving catch an inning later. But he exited prior to the top of the eighth with a sore right shoulder and will have an MRI.
Reed Garrett (7-5) walked three of the five batters he faced before Hill singled to left field against Phil Maton, putting Miami in front 3-2. Jeff McNeil made a strong throw to the plate, but the ball popped out of catcher Francisco Alvarez’s mitt as he quickly tried to apply a sweep tag on Jonah Bride.
Marlins rookie Valente Bellozo allowed two runs in 5 1/3 innings — the fifth time he’s permitted two runs or fewer in six career starts. Paul Blackburn gave up one run over six innings in his fourth start for the Mets.
Blackburn also picked off Emmanuel Rivera in the second and Xavier Edwards in the sixth. Edwards stole second against Garrett in the eighth before being picked off.
DOUBLE TROUBLE
The Mets’ first-inning threat ended when Mark Vientos was thrown out 8-9-4-2 while trying to score from second after Hill robbed Pete Alonso of an extra-base hit at the right-center wall. It was the second unique double play of the weekend. Vientos, the Mets’ third baseman, applied the tag on Edwards in the third inning Saturday to complete a 6-5-4-5 double play that began when Vidal Bruján got caught in a rundown on Edwards’ grounder.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Mets: RF Starling Marte was activated from the injured list and went 1 for 3 with a single. Marte missed eight weeks due to a bone bruise on his right knee. OF Ben Gamel was designated for assignment. … RHP Dedniel Núñez (right pronator strain) is scheduled to throw an inning Tuesday for Triple-A Syracuse. … RHP Christian Scott (right UCL sprain) threw before the game.
UP NEXT
Marlins: Head home Monday to begin a three-game series against the Arizona Diamondbacks. Neither team had announced its starter yet.
Mets: LHP David Peterson (7-1, 3.04 ERA), who has allowed two runs or fewer in 10 of his 13 starts this season, takes the mound Monday when New York opens a three-game series against the visiting Baltimore Orioles.
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