Quantcast

Mets rally in 9th, hand Marlins 5th loss in row

Jonathon Niese
New York Mets starter Jonathon Niese pitches during the first inning of the baseball game against the Miami Marlins, Thursday, April 26, 2012, at Citi Field in New York. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig).
mets2 e1335472828207
New York Mets starter Jonathon Niese pitches during the first inning of the baseball game against the Miami Marlins, Thursday, April 26, 2012, at Citi Field in New York. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig).

NEW YORK (AP ) — Justin Turner drew a bases-loaded walk in a sensational 13-pitch at-bat and Kirk Niewenhuis hit an RBI single with two outs in the ninth inning as the Mets rallied past Heath Bell and Miami 3-2 Thursday, the Marlins’ fifth straight loss.

After the game, the Mets said starter Mike Pelfrey has a partial tear of a ligament in his right elbow and most likely will have season-ending Tommy John surgery.

Pitching for the first time in a week, and working in a steady drizzle, Bell (0-3) couldn’t find the plate. The All-Star closer walked four and threw a whopping 46 pitches.

The Mets trailed 2-1 when David Wright drew a leadoff walk in the ninth. One-out passes to Ike Davis and Josh Thole loaded the bases for Turner, a pinch hitter.

Turner fell behind in the count 0-2 and later fouled off seven pitches before his walk made it 2-all. After a forceout at the plate, Niewenhuis hit a one-hopper off the right-field wall.

Before Niewenhuis’ hit the Mets were 0 for 16 with two walks when batting with the bases loaded this season.

The Mets finished off a three-game sweep with a true walk-off win, thanks to Bell’s wildness. Bell has blown three of five save chances in his first year with the Marlins.

It was the second time this series that the Marlins walked four consecutive batters. Four pitchers combined to do it Tuesday night.

Ramon Ramirez (2-1) pitched two scoreless innings for the win.

Jose Reyes, Hanley Ramirez and most of the Marlins remained stuck in hitting slumps. Miami scored a total of only six runs during its five-game trip to Washington and Citi Field.

Reyes was hitless in four tries and went 1 for 12 in his first series against his former team. Booed loudly in every at-bat, the fleet leadoff man grounded into a close, inning-ending double play in the eighth with runners at the corners.

Ramirez, the former NL batting champion, also was hitless in four at-bats and is an 0-for-20 rut.

Starters Jonathon Niese of the Mets and Ricky Nolasco each pitched seven sharp innings.

Niese gave up two runs on four hits in seven innings, walking none and striking out six. Nolasco allowed one run and five hits.

The Mets won while starting an entirely homegrown lineup for the first time since 1971.

Gaby Sanchez made it 1-all with his first home run of the season, a long drive leading off the Miami third.

Omar Infante hit a leadoff double in the Miami fifth and took third on a bloop single by Giancarlo Stanton — the Marlins had been hitless in their previous 24 at-bats with runners in scoring position. Befitting their recent offensive woes, the Marlins then went ahead without a hit, getting a run when Sanchez bounced into a double play.

Ramirez, Reyes and Stanton all had early fielding problems. Stanton dropped a long fly to right field by Nieuwenhuis leading off the Mets’ first for a triple and Ruben Tejada followed with a sacrifice fly.

Wright later grounded a double down the third base line past Ramirez. The converted shortstop tapped his glove when the ball was hit, anticipating a play, but let it get past him. A trainer came from the dugout to check if Ramirez was OK.

In the second, Reyes seemed to nonchalantly chase a soft liner by Davis. The ball glanced off the All-Star shortstop’s glove and was ruled a single.

NOTES: Mets Triple-A OF Adam Loewen was put on the disabled list with a stress fracture in his right foot.

Copyright 2012 The Associated Press.