The Mets badly needed a win in Miami to salvage the series and forget about Edwin Díaz’s troubles for a day — and they got their wish with a 7-3 victory against the Marlins Sunday.
Harrison Bader and Tyrone Taylor each drove in two runs in a four-run first inning for the Mets, who had lost the first two games of the series to Miami, including a particularly excruciating loss Saturday in which Díaz blew his third save in his last four chances.
Díaz did not appear in the game Sunday, and the Mets offense made sure not to make the game that close late. Brandon Nimmo homered and Francisco Lindor singled twice following a 1-for-27 skid. Lindor led off for the second straight day.
With the Mets ahead 4-3, Nimmo hit a two-run homer off Anthony Bender in a three-run ninth that included Brett Baty’s RBI single.
On the mound, Sean Manaea (3-1) allowed two runs and five hits in five innings. Sean Reid-Foley and Jake Diekman pitch an inning each, and Reed Garrett got his second save by allowing one hit over two innings with four strikeouts in a 34-pitch outing.
Díaz has a 10.80 ERA over his last eight appearances after serving up four homers in 8 1/3 innings. He has blown three of his last four save chances, wasting a four-run, ninth-inning lead in Saturday’s loss.
When he will close a game next is anyone’s guess. Before Sunday’s game, Mets manager Carlos Mendoza indicated that Díaz is willing to pitch whenever he can in the ballgame, and do whatever it takes to get back into form.
Garrett, Sunday’s closer, said the entire team supports Díaz as he gets through this brutal slump.
“We all believe in him. We all know that he’s going to be back. We know that he’s elite when he’s right, and we know that we’re going to do everything we can to get him right,” Garrett said after the game Sunday. “Whenever my name’s called, I’ll pitch, but I know that as a collective unit, we all believe in Edwin.”
The Mets played Sunday without DH J.D. Martinez, who sat out due to flu-like symptoms. Mendoza said that Martinez had played through the illness the prior two days.
On Monday, the Mets will be in Cleveland to start a three-game series against the Guardians. Tylor Megill will make his first start since March after coming off the injured list. He’ll face Guardians right-hander Ben Lively.
