David Wright lifts Mets at Miami with home run, 3 singles
MIAMI -- David Wright pulled an RBI single in the first inning, then sent three subsequent hits to the opposite field with a variety of trajectories.
"Groundballs, home runs, bloopers, line drives," opposing pitcher Ricky Nolasco said.
The net result: Three singles, one homer and three RBIs for Wright to help the New York Mets beat Nolasco and the Miami Marlins 9-3 on Saturday. It was the fourth consecutive multi-hit game for Wright, hiking his NL-leading average to .402.
R.A. Dickey (5-1) pitched six innings and sent the Marlins to only their second loss in the past 11 games.
The Mets have won six of seven.
Wright put the Mets up 1-0 in the first, hit his fourth homer in the third, singled and scored in the sixth, and added an RBI single in the ninth. He finished 4 for 6 but dismissed the notion he can sustain a .400 average.
"There is a long ways to go," he said. "Those are unrealistic goals. I think it's realistic to go up there and try to have good at-bats. If the results come, great."
Wright's on-base percentage of .489 leads the majors.
"At the end of the year, David Wright is going to have some stinking really good numbers," manager Terry Collins said.
Dickey also contributed to the offense, earning a painful RBI when he was hit on his pitching wrist in the fifth inning with the bases loaded. The right-hander received a visit from a trainer but stayed in the game and threw another two innings.
"I was thankful that it hit me in the meatier part of the wrist, but you just never know" Dickey said. "We'll see how it feels in the morning."
He limited the Marlins to two runs even though his knuckleball was sub-par under the closed roof in the Marlins' new ballpark.
"It was a real fight," Dickey said. "I threw a lot of real tumbleweeds up there, balls that were kind of over-rotating on me. I didn't have my swing-and-miss knuckleball, but they were hitting enough pieces of it to give me some groundballs, and I was able to make a big pitch when I needed it."
Dickey has allowed only seven runs in his past four starts.
Nolasco (4-1) missed a chance to break the Marlins' record for career victories by earning his 69th win. Instead, he endured his 52nd defeat, allowing six runs in 4 2/3 innings for his shortest outing this year.
Nolasco walked three in the first inning and hit consecutive batters in the fifth, including Dickey.
"I apologize to my teammates," Nolasco said. "It was pretty ugly, and something I haven't done that ugly before. ... This one was on me completely. I took us out the game."
Andres Torres had a two-run single in the fifth to knock Nolasco out of the game. Lucas Duda and Daniel Murphy each contributed three of the Mets' 16 hits.
The Marlins went 2 for 11 with runners in scoring position and are batting .199 in those situations, worst in the majors. They had two runners tagged out between second and third.
"I hope the kids don't watch this," manager Ozzie Guillen said. "It's not the way to run the bases."
The Mets have been winning lately with comebacks, but this time they scored in the first and never trailed.
Catcher's interference by Brett Hayes prolonged the Mets' fourth inning, allowing them to score a run. With runners at second and third with two out, Torres flied out, but his swing knocked the glove off Hayes' hand. Torres was awarded first base, and Kirk Nieuwenhuis followed with an RBI single.
Wright singled in the sixth and later scored on Daniel Murphy's single to put the Mets ahead 7-1. Wright dropped his final hit into short right field with two out in the ninth, and he has 11 hits in his past 21 at-bats.
"I'm getting some that are falling in, finding some holes," he said. "A lot of it is probably luck. This sport isn't like a lot of other sports. You can go up there and have good at-bats, and have nothing to show for it results-wise. You can go up there and have bad at-bats, and have good results. It's funny how this game works, so you try to take advantage of it when you can."
Game notes:
Wright improved his average against Nolasco to .400 (24 for 60) with five homers. ... Wright is batting .478 on the road. ... The Mets' Mike Baxter doubled in the ninth to improve his average as a pinch hitter to .438 (7 for 16). ... Omar Infante is hitting .190 lifetime (4 for 21) against Sunday's starter for the Mets, Jonathon Niese.
Regular Season Series
2022 National League East Standings
TEAM | W | L | PCT | GB | STRK |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
New York | 29 | 17 | .630 | 0 | L2 |
Atlanta | 21 | 24 | .467 | 7.5 | L1 |
Philadelphia | 21 | 24 | .467 | 7.5 | W1 |
Miami | 18 | 24 | .429 | 9 | L2 |
Washington | 16 | 30 | .348 | 13 | W2 |
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