Miami @ New York preview
Citi Field
Last Meeting ( Jul 12, 2014 ) Miami 4, NY Mets 5
Sitting a season-low 11 games under .500 on July 2, the New York Mets had the look of a team destined to finish under the break-even mark for the seventh consecutive season. The Mets, however, have gone 7-2 during a 10-game homestand and will eye their first three-game home sweep of the season on Sunday against the Miami Marlins. New York (44-50) put itself in a position for only its second eight-win homestand since Citi Field opened in 2009 with Saturday’s 5-4 come-from-behind triumph.
"That might be the biggest win of the year for us - for a lot of reasons,” Mets manager Terry Collins told the team’s website after Eric Campbell’s eighth-inning pinch-hit single gave his team its sixth win in seven tries. A key part of New York’s resurgence has been its ability to take advantage of mistakes offensively; Chris Young’s game-tying two-run blast on Saturday marked the 10th time in the last 11 home games that the Mets have homered. Conversely, Miami (44-49) has dropped three in a row and will drop into fourth place in the National League East behind New York with another setback on Sunday.
TV: 1:10 p.m. ET, FSN Florida (Miami), SNY (New York)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Marlins LH Brad Hand (0-1, 5.09 ERA) vs. Mets RH Jacob deGrom (2-5, 3.38)
Hand remained winless since Sept. 18, 2013 – a span of 20 appearances (including five starts) – when he did not factor into the decision in Tuesday’s 2-1 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks. The former second-round pick of the Marlins in 2008 was unable to post his third career win despite yielding one unearned run on eight hits and two walks over 6 1/3 innings. Hand has experienced similar luck in seven all-time appearances (three starts) against the Mets, compiling an 0-2 mark despite a 2.95 ERA.
Pitching at home for the first time since June 11, deGrom registered the finest outing of his 11-start career in Tuesday’s 8-3 win over the Atlanta Braves. In addition to matching a career high with 11 strikeouts, the 26-year-old rookie allowed seven singles and did not walk a batter over seven scoreless frames. DeGrom was every bit as effective in his first career turn against Miami on June 21, permitting only five hits over seven scoreless innings en route to his first big-league victory.
WALK-OFFS
1. Miami RF Giancarlo Stanton, who is tied with the Colorado Rockies' Troy Tulowitzki for the NL lead with 21 home runs, has one hit in his last 19 at-bats and not gone deep in a season-high 14 straight games.
2. Collins indicated Saturday that All-Star 2B Daniel Murphy will be rested in the series finale and replaced by Campbell.
3. Marlins LF Christian Yelich, who is on a nine-game hitting streak, has scored 10 times and is batting .340 with two homers and seven RBIs in 12 games since returning from the disabled list on June 29.
PREDICTION: Mets 3, Marlins 2