Bartolo Colon became the NL's top winner this season, helping himself with an RBI double and getting a five-out save from closer Jeurys Familia to lead the New York Mets over the Miami Marlins 4-3 Sunday.
Ruben Tejada hit a tiebreaking double in the seventh and Familia struck out Giancarlo Stanton in a rare eighth-inning appearance as the Mets avoided a three-game sweep.
The 42-year-old Colon (8-3) gave up six hits and three runs without walking a batter in seven innings. He ended May on a positive note after struggling in the month, and matched Seattle ace Felix Hernandez for the most wins in the majors.
Filling in at third base for injured captain David Wright, Tejada followed his tying three-run double Saturday with a drive to the wall in left off demoted closer Steve Cishek (1-5), enabling the Mets to finish their homestand 4-2.
Justin Bour homered in his third straight game for the Marlins.
Terry Collins race-walked out of the dugout after Carlos Torres gave up a one-out single to Martin Prado in the eighth and called for Familia to face the Marlins' Nos. 3-4 hitters, Stanton and Bour.
Stanton and Bour each homered twice in the series. Bour connected off Colon in the sixth after sitting out Saturday.
Familia struck out Stanton, who flailed at an 89 mph slider far off the plate after missing on two fastballs. Bour singled and moved second on the throw, but Familia got pinch-hitter Jeff Baker on a bouncer back to the mound for the third out.
Familia then finished for his 15th save.
Miami manager Dan Jennings went with an unusual lineup of Ichiro Suzuki batting fifth and starter David Phelps in the No. 8 hole.
Suzuki has faced only John Lackey more than Colon in his major league career and has great success against the Mets' portly pitcher, going 32 for 101 (.317) with three homers and 10 RBIs.
The Japanese star singled to center field in his first at-bat and scored on Christian Yelich's grounder, tying it at 1 in the second.
But Colon gave the Mets the lead with his second career extra-base hit in the bottom half. After Anthony Recker singled with one out, Colon squared to bunt three times - Phelps threw a wild pitch on strike two - before hitting a line drive to left-center.
With Suzuki playing shallow in center field, the ball rolled all the way to the wall. Fans roared while Colon chugged into second base standing up.
Wilmer Flores extended the lead to 3-1 with a homer to left field, his eighth of the season.
Jhonatan Solano, batting ninth to give the top of the order ''more meat on the bone,'' according to Jennings, drove in a run with a tapper between the pitcher's mound and third base and Bour homered, tying it at 3.
No comments:
Post a Comment