Marlins 4, Mets 2
NEW YORK -- The Miami Marlins scored all four of their runs in one inning and that was enough to beat the New York Mets on the night Miami welcomed back All-Star right fielder Giancarlo Stanton.
Stanton went 0-for-3, but drove in a run with a sacrifice fly, as he returned from the disabled list in time for the Marlins' 4-2 win over the Mets on Tuesday night.
John Buck added two hits and two RBIs for Miami, which snapped its two-game losing streak while the Mets lost their second in a row.
Former Met Jose Reyes extended his hitting streak to 25 games with an infield hit in the fourth, while Ruben Tejada, his successor with the Mets, stretched his streak to 12 games in the third.
Mets starter Jon Niese (8-6) allowed four runs on eight hits in six innings. Three Mets relievers shut out the Marlins the rest of the way. Daniel Murphy homered and had two hits for New York.
Carlos Zambrano (7-9) picked up the win, via the official scorer's decision, with 1 1/3 innings of scoreless relief. Zambrano started the sixth, following Chad Gaudin, who allowed a run in the fifth in relief of starter Wade LeBlanc, who did not go the five innings necessary to qualify for a victory.
The Marlins used five relievers, including Steve Cishek, who earned his seventh save of the season with a scoreless ninth.
Miami took a 4-0 lead with five hits against Niese in the fourth, including a questionable one by Reyes, which extended his hitting streak.
The first base umpire ruled first baseman Murphy was off the bag when trying to field a throw from Niese on Reyes' dribbler, but replays indicated he stayed on when he had possession of the ball.
Carlos Lee followed with a RBI single, and a Stanton sacrifice fly made it 2-0. Buck later doubled in two runs with two outs, with Austin Kearns sliding in just ahead of catcher Josh Thole's tag, for a 4-0 lead.
The Mets scored twice in the bottom of the fifth to cut the deficit to 4-2. Murphy hit his fourth homer of the season to lead off the inning and chase starter LeBlanc, who limited the Mets to one run on six hits, but threw 85 pitches. The Mets strung together three straight two-out hits against reliever Gaudin, including an RBI single by Andres Torres.
The Mets had a chance for more with the bases loaded, but manager Terry Collins allowed Niese to hit and the starter struck out looking.
The disappointing Marlins lost a lot of stars during their fire sale at the trade deadline, but got one back in Stanton, who played for the first time since undergoing arthroscopic surgery on his right knee on July 8. He entered the game atop the club's list for home runs and RBIs despite missing a month and added to his RBI total with that sacrifice fly in the four-run fourth.
NOTES: Collins admitted left-hander Tim Byrdak, who could require surgery for a torn anterior capsule in his left shoulder, was overused this season, and the extra workload contributed to his injury. "I don't think there's any question," Collins said in his press briefing on whether Byrdak's appearance in a major-league leading 56 games was a factor. "Injuries are caused by overuse. I've had too many doctors that have told me, too many doctors say it. ... There's no question we probably used him more than maybe we should have, but we also wouldn't be here without him." Byrdak could face a long road back as his injury is similar to the ones that kept Johan Santana and Chris Young both out more than a year. ... Left-hander Garrett Olson was called up from Class AAA Buffalo, with righty Elvin Ramirez getting demoted. ... Before the game, a group of past and present Mets All-Stars revealed the logo for the 2013 All-Star Game, which will be played at Citi Field. The logo is similar to the Mets' skyline logo. ... Struggling left fielder Jason Bay could start platooning with left-handed hitters, starting Wednesday, Collins said. ... Marlins infielder Donnie Murphy was placed on the 15-day disabled list retroactive to Saturday, with a strained left hamstring. Stanton took Murphy's roster spot.
