Mets 7, Marlins 6
MIAMI -- Jordany Valdespin hit a three-run, pinch-hit homer to help the New York Mets rally past the Miami Marlins, 7-6, Wednesday afternoon before 16,188 fans at Marlins Park.
David Wright had three hits, including a solo homerun, John Buck had three hits and two RBI and Bobby Parnell got the save to lead New York.
The Mets (11-15) snapped a six-game losing streak by salvaging the last of a three-game series against Miami.
The Marlins (8-20) had their season-best three-game winning streak broken and still have the worst record in the National League.
Valdespin entered the game in the sixth, when Marlins manager Mike Redmond lifted LeBlanc, who had thrown 90 pitches and had only allowed one run.
But with runners on first and second with one out, Redmond went to righty reliever A.J. Ramos. Mets manager Terry Collins removed rookie center fielder Juan Lagares, and used Valdespin as a lefty pinch-hitter.
Advantage: Collins.
Valdespin hit a 2-2 pitch an estimated 355 feet to right field to give the Mets a 5-4 lead they never relinquished. He has 10 career homers, and six of them have been of the pinch-hit variety. His five pinch-hit homers last year set a Mets single-season record.
The Mets padded their lead with a two-run double by Buck in the seventh.
The Marlins scored twice in the bottom of the inning. With runners on first and second and one out, Justin Ruggiano hit a line-drive single that got to left fielder Lucas Duda on one hop. Duda came in aggressively to try to keep the runner on second from scoring. But the ball bounced high and glanced off Duda's glove, rolling all the way to the wall.
Two runs scored, and Ruggiano got to third. But he was stranded when the next batter, rookie Marcell Ozuna, hit a slow dribbler to third. Ruggiano did not run on contact, and third baseman Wright bare-handed the ball, throwing out Ozuna. Chris Valaika then flew out to end the threat.
The Marlins scored three times in the first, an inning that was set up by walks to Juan Pierre and Greg Dobbs. With one out, Ruggiano singled to right to scored a run. And with two out, Chris Valaika hit a two-run double to left.
The Mets got on the board when David Wright swung at the first pitch of the inning and hit a 403-foot homer to left.
But the Marlins came right back with one run in the bottom of the inning -- and it could have been even worse for the Mets.
Nick Green doubled to right and tried to score on pitcher Wade LeBlanc's single to center, but he was thrown out by Lagares.
LeBlanc, though, took second on the play and scored on Pierre's single. It was LeBlanc's first run scored since 2011.
NOTES: Two Marlins hitters are on the disabled list because of hamstring injuries, but right fielder Giancarlo Stanton figures to be out longer. The best-case scenario for Stanton is two or three weeks. More likely is that he will miss a month. Meanwhile, first baseman Joe Mahoney should return in 15 days. ... New York-area newspapers are reporting that Mets manager Terry Collins, whose contract runs out after this season, may be in jeopardy of losing his job even sooner because of the team's current slump. ... When the Mets lost to the Marlins in 15 innings on Monday, the last pitcher they used was starter Shaun Marcum. Had Marcum completed two innings, the next "pitcher" for the Mets would have been backup catcher Anthony Recker, whose only previous experience on the mound was four or five outings at Division III Alvernia (Pa.) University.
