A rain delay, a shaky outing from Rick Porcello, more missed opportunities, and a shutout loss.
That’s not exactly what the New York Mets wanted to see from their first performance back from a five-day layoff after two team members tested positive for COVID-19.
The Mets were shut out 4-0 by the Miami Marlins on Tuesday night in the opening leg of a doubleheader, which now features seven-inning games during the truncated 2020 schedule.
It was the first of three doubleheaders the Mets will play this week, the other two coming against the Yankees after their Subway Series from last weekend was postponed.
While he didn’t allow a run in the first inning for the first time in his Mets career (six starts), Porcello was cracked open in the second inning, allowing three runs off a pair of two-out singles by Lewis Brinson and Miguel Rojas.
Lewin Diaz would get in on the two-out action in the third inning, scoring Anderson — who hit his second double in as many innings — to make it a 4-0 game.
Before the Mets could try to mount a reply, the heavens opened up, making way for a brief, but a strong storm that featured high winds delayed the game for just over an hour.
Porcello would not return after the dealy, lasting just those three innings on 64 pitches, allowing four earned runs on five hits with four strikeouts. Corey Oswalt came on in relief and finished the game, allowing just one hit over four innings.
Despite having swept the Marlins in their shortened three-game series last week before their COVID-fueled shutdown, the Mets’ offensive woes picked right back up. In the opening five innings, they went 0-for-6 with runners in scoring position while leaving eight on-base.
They were frustrated by Marlins starter Daniel Castano, who didn’t yield a run despite allowing six hits and walking three in 4.2 innings of work.
New York actually outhit the Marlins 8-6 on the night but left a total of 11 on-base in the loss. That included having a runner on base in each of the seven innings.
