Queens, NY—If the Mets plan to go far this year Carlos Carrasco has to start to eat up innings for the Metropolitan. Hopefully by the next start he can fine tune some of his mechanics.
Bryan De La Cruz hit a homer and drove in four runs, the Miami Marlins beat the New York Mets 7-2 Sunday at Citi Field over a struggling Carrasco.
De La Cruz hit a three-run screamer on an 0-2 pitch from Carrasco (0-2) in the first inning and added a sacrifice fly in the seventh. Also Garrett Cooper hit a two-run shot blast for the Marlins, who avoided a three-game sweep.
The Marlins improved to 17-28 against the NY Mets since the start of the 2021 season, including 2-5 this season. They won’t play again until Sept. 18.
Carrasco’s velocity was down, Buck Showalter said the bigger issue was a lack of command of his splitter.
The four-seam fastball, which averaged 93.2 mph a season ago, remained at a 91.3 mph average Sunday afternoon.
“That’s one of the main pitches I have and I’m trying to find the delivery slot to throw it more, but it’s not there,” Carrasco said. “It’s disappointing. I have to try to get it back because I really need it.”
The Mets really need Carrasco to figure things out quickly.
Carrasco got in trouble with his hanging sliders that he left over the heart of the plate.
The first hanging slider resulted in a long three-run blast to left by De La Cruz with one out in the top of the first on a grooved 0-2 pitch count.
Garrett Cooper got slider for a two-run blast in the fifth, as Carrasco gave up six runs in 4 ²/₃ innings.
“I don’t think we’ve had the best track record lately against them the last few years,” Cooper said. “Just to get one was big for us today.”
The Marlins, which led the National League with 122 steals last year, came into Sunday’s contest with only two this season but went 5 for 5 against Mets catcher Francisco Álvarez in his second major league start behind the plate.
Álvarez, the Mets’ top prospect, went 1 for 4 with an RBI single in his season debut. Pete Alonso also had an RBI single for New York, which stranded 10 runners.
“I have to look at it. I’m not so sure that they weren’t on the pitchers, most of them,” Mets manager Buck Showalter said. “You give him a chance, he’ll throw out the people he’s supposed to throw out.”
Tanner Scott (1-1), the second of five Marlins pitchers, earned the win by working 1 1/3 hitless innings.
Miami starter Braxton Garrett allowed nine hits but just two runs in 4 2/3 innings in his first start of the season.
“He didn’t have many pitches to work with entering the game, just coming out of the bullpen for the first week,” Marlins manager Skip Schumaker said. “He did what he could to help us win that game today.”
UP NEXT:
Marlins: RHP Sandy Alcantara (1-0, 1.84 ERA) opens a three-game series Monday night in Philadelphia.
Mets: RHP Max Scherzer (1-1, 6.35 ERA) starts the opener of a three-game series against visiting San Diego, the first meeting between the teams since the Padres eliminated the Mets from the playoffs in the wild-card round at Citi Field last year.
