Mets Get Rocked By Marlins; Ozuna Hits Mammoth Home Run
NEW YORK (AP) — Marcell Ozuna hit a mammoth home run and Adam Conley allowed one hit through five innings to lead the Miami Marlins over the New York Mets 8-1 on Saturday night.
Christian Yelich crashed into the outfield fence for a fantastic catch that robbed Yoenis Cespedes of extra bases in the eighth. Otherwise, the Marlins breezed to their third consecutive win on another windy night at Citi Field.
Giancarlo Stanton and leadoff batter J.T. Realmuto each got three hits for Miami. Realmuto and Ozuna had two RBIs apiece, and Miguel Rojas also drove in a pair of runs with a sacrifice fly and a safety squeeze.
After outhitting the Mets 13-3 in this one and outscoring them 15-3 during the first two games of the series, the Marlins will go for a sweep Sunday night on national television. Miami had lost its previous five series against the Mets, silenced at the plate by Conley (1-0) once again.
The 26-year-old lefty with the herky-jerky delivery retired his first 11 batters and didn't permit a hit until Lucas Duda homered with two outs in the fifth. Four relievers from Miami's deep bullpen soon followed, and Conley improved to 2-0 with a 1.00 ERA in five career starts against New York, which faced its third straight left-handed starter.
In his first start of the season, Mets rookie Robert Gsellman (0-1) lasted five innings. He gave up a run in each of the first three frames on Fireworks Night.
The second batter of the game, Rojas, doubled and later scored on Stanton's two-out single.
Leading off the second, Ozuna clocked a 94 mph, full-count fastball and sent it soaring more than halfway up the second deck in left field. Ozuna is the only Marlins player to hit safely in all five games this season, but the home run was his first extra-base hit.
Gsellman, who gets good sinking action on his two-seamer, has given up only two home runs in 50 2/3 major league innings.
Mets center fielder Curtis Granderson misplayed Realmuto's line drive into a leadoff triple in the third. Rojas followed with a sacrifice fly.
Ozuna added a two-out RBI single off Hansel Robles in the seventh. Realmuto had run-scoring singles in the eighth and ninth.
TOUGH START
Mets reliever Paul Sewald, with his parents and fiancee expected in the stands, gave up singles to his first three batters in his major league debut and was charged with two runs in one-third of an inning. The right-hander was promoted Friday night from Triple-A Las Vegas to provide a fresh arm in the bullpen and caught an early flight Saturday morning.
LOOK OUT!
Standing in the on-deck circle, Rojas was forced to dart out of the way of a flying bat when Realmuto lost his grip on a sixth-inning swing.
UP NEXT
Marlins: RHP Edinson Volquez starts the series finale Sunday night. Volquez threw five shutout innings with six strikeouts in his Miami debut, a no-decision on opening day at Washington.
Mets: After an extra day of rest, New York ace Noah Syndergaard is set to take the ball again. Syndergaard fired six scoreless innings in the season opener against Atlanta, but exited with a blister on the middle finger of his pitching hand. The hard-throwing righty has been putting a cream on it. He is 2-0 with a 1.80 ERA and 29 strikeouts over 20 innings in three career starts against Miami.
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