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Sloppy inning, silent bats doom Mets in loss to Marlins

With this fill-in lineup of journeymen and minor leaguers, the Mets’ chance of scoring enough runs to cover for shaky pitching is slim.

With this fill-in lineup of journeymen and minor leaguers, the Mets’ chance of scoring enough runs to cover for shaky pitching is slim.

Cody Poteet silenced the Mets for seven scoreless innings Sunday, and the Marlins rode one big rally against spot starter Jordan Yamamoto to a 5-1 victory to take the rubber game of a series at loanDepot park in Miami. Making his third career MLB start, Poteet retired the final 14 batters he faced before handing it over to the bullpen.

Mets manager Luis Rojas was hoping that pitching against his former team might elevate Yamamoto’s game as he came off the taxi squad. It didn’t.

The game was decided in the bottom of the second inning, when the first three batters reached to load the bases.

It seemed for a minute like the Mets might be able to escape unharmed as Magneuris Sierra struck out and Poteet — hitless in his first five career plate appearances — stepped into the box.

Poteet chopped a slow roller down the third-base line that Yamamoto fielded, but his off-balance throw to the plate was too late. Actually, Yamamoto’s decision to go for the sensational play and cut off charging third baseman Brandon Drury — who could’ve made a routine throw to first base and traded a run for an out — opened the floodgates.

Two batters later, Yamamoto’s fielding again became a factor when he couldn’t corral the back end of a would-be 3-6-1 double play that could’ve stopped the bleeding at 2-0. Francisco Lindor’s errant throw was low and a little behind Yamamoto as it rolled into the dugout and allowed two runs to score. Jesus Aguilar added an RBI single for a 5-0 lead before the inning ended.

Miguel Rojas scores during the Marlins’ five-run second inning as the Mets lose 5-1 on May 23, 2021.
AP

Yamamoto left the game with right shoulder soreness after four innings. He gave up six hits, walked two and struck out two. The five runs — four earned — might as well have been 50 on this day.

The Mets didn’t put a runner in scoring position in seven innings against Poteet, who allowed just three singles. The last hitter to get a hit off Poteet? Yamamoto doing his Jacob deGrom impression at the plate, if not on the mound.

File under “too little, too late” the Mets’ eighth-inning breakthrough when Johneshwy Fargas doubled and Wilfredo Tovar singled him home. Tovar entered the game as part of a fifth-inning double switch that led to four other players changing positions.

Perhaps the most discouraging part is there is no reason to think this was a one-off offensively. None of the six position players from the Opening Day lineup who are on the injured list are on the cusp of returning, based on Rojas’ pregame updates. J.D. Davis (hand) is the closest but developed a stiff neck during a rehab stint and will spend at least a few more days at Triple-A.

Injuries have forced the likes of Cameron Maybin into the heart of the lineup and he is 0-for-16 in four games.

This story originally appeared on: NyPost - Author:Ryan Dunleavy

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