With win over Marlins, Mets tie franchise record for best start

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April 10, 2018 4:41 AM

The New York Mets just continue to roll. With a solid start from Noah Syndergaard, opportunistic hitting and a sturdy bullpen, the Mets defeated the host Miami Marlins on Monday, 4-2, for their sixth straight victory, improving to 8-1 on the season.

Twice before, the Mets have started 8-1: in 1985, when they did not reach the playoffs, and in 2006, when they reached the National League Championship Series.

With one more victory, the 2018 Mets would have the best start in franchise history.

The Marlins, despite being maligned for another fire sale of top players this winter, put up a fight against Syndergaard, who battled his own command at times. He allowed two runs, only one earned, over six innings. He struck out five but walked two and hit a batter.

The Mets’ offense struck first. Adrian Gonzalez drove in a run with a single off Marlins starter Jose Ureña in the second inning. Kevin Plawecki tacked on a second run by hitting into a double play that allowed Asdrubal Cabrera to score.

Jay Bruce pushed the Mets’ lead to 3-0 when he singled to center field to score Amed Rosario in the third inning.

It was enough of a cushion to withstand the runs allowed by Syndergaard in the fifth and sixth innings. Although Syndergaard walked two in the fifth inning, the run in that frame was unearned because of a fielding error by Rosario.

Rosario helped atone for his mistake with an insurance run in the seventh inning. After Marlins first baseman Justin Bour botched a potential inning-ending double play, Brandon Nimmo reached base. And Rosario took advantage with a run-scoring single.

With some much used relievers resting, the deep Mets bullpen relied on Hansel Robles, Jerry Blevins, AJ Ramos and Jeurys Familia to piece together the final three innings of the victory.

“It’s awesome to have them shut the door on opposing teams,” Syndergaard said of the bullpen. “That’s crucial for all of us moving forward, and to our success. But ultimately I’d like to go a little deeper than the sixth inning of games and work on being more efficient.”

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.

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