 would be locked out of the postseason with a loss Tuesday and victories by Washington and Milwaukee. The Nationals are scheduled for a doubleheader against the Phillies.''I think this team has performed pretty well when their backs are against the wall,'' Callaway said. ''So, we need to step it up.'' Marlins left-hander Caleb Smith (10-10) dodged trouble early, stranding seven over the first four innings. Rosario got to him in the sixth, hitting a two-out slam to cut the deficit to 6-4.''We thought we could come back at that point,'' Rosario said via translator. ''But we weren't able to complete that.'' The Mets left 11 runners on base and ended an eight-game winning streak against Miami at Citi Field dating to last season.Matz (10-10) followed a seven-run outing at Colorado last week by allowing six runs in five-plus innings in his 100th big league start.''Tonight was two pitches to Alfaro, in my mind,'' Callaway said.The left-hander crouched on the mound and then trudged off after Alfaro's slam in the sixth. Jon Berti, Miguel Rojas and Starlin Castro hit consecutive singles before Alfaro, Miami's cleanup hitter, connected for his first career slam and 17th homer this season.''That was really a big blow,'' Matz said. ''A terrible pitch.'' Alfaro also homered leading off the second and had a career-high five RBIs. Rojas had an RBI single in the third, and Berti posted his first four-hit game.Alfaro had three hits in his previous 31 plate appearances entering Monday.''I think he's making strides,'' manager Don Mattingly said. ''He's not chasing as much. Getting the ball in the strike zone, trying to be more consistent with what he's swinging at.'' Miami padded its lead in the seventh after a crucial replay challenge. Harold Ramirez hit a two-out, bases-loaded chopper to first baseman Pete Alonso, who flipped to pitcher Brad Brach for what was initially ruled an out. Replays showed Ramirez's toe narrowly beat Brach's foot to the base, and Ramirez was awarded a two-run single for an 8-4 lead.''I honestly didn't think he'd be that close,'' Brach said. ''I just made sure I caught the ball, because that's the most important thing. Kind of slowed up there for a second to catch it.'' After tagging first, Brach spun around to throw home and try to catch Berti, who turned hard around third and scored the second run. Brach held up when first base umpire Jordan Baker called Ramirez out.''If he's not going full-out from second base on that, they're not going to give him that run,'' Mattingly said of Berti. ''But when you look up, when that play got made at first, he was halfway and moving.'' The Mets loaded the bases with two outs in the first inning, but Smith induced an infield fly from Todd Frazier to escape. Frazier popped up again with two outs and two on in the third.PUNCHING UPThe Mets pitching staff surpassed last year's club for the franchise strikeout record when former closer Edwin Diaz got No. 1,447 in the eighth.TRAINER'S ROOMMarlins: 1B/OF Garrett Cooper (left knee contusion) won't play again this season, partly because Mattingly has seen enough from the 28-year-old to ensure he fits into Miami's 2020 plans. ... OF Magneuris Sierra is done for the year with a hamstring strain, but Mattingly is hopeful he'll play winter ball. The speedy 23-year-old batted .350 in 15 games.Mets: 2B Robinson Cano was not in the lineup a day after taking a pitch off his left big toe, but Callaway said it was a planned day off and he expects Cano to be fine.UP NEXTMets right-hander Noah Syndergaard (10-8, 4.22 ERA) is scheduled for his penultimate start of the season - and possibly with the franchise, given his uneven relationship with the front office. It also will be the second-to-last start for Miami right-hander Sandy Alcantara (5-14, 4.00 ERA) in an encouraging rookie season.---Follow Jake Seiner: https://twitter.com/Jake-Seiner---More MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/-Sports)
Mets face Marlins needing lots of wins, lots of helpFLMThe New York Mets will continue their long-shot playoff push Monday night with a twist: This time, they'll be rooting for a division rival to beat someone not named the Milwaukee Brewers.The Mets will look to gain a little ground in the National League wild-card race Monday night when they host the Miami Marlins in the opener of a four-game series.Steven Matz (10-9, 4.16 ERA) is scheduled to take the mound for the Mets against the Marlins' Caleb Smith (9-10, 4.24 ERA) in a matchup of left-handers.Both teams won Sunday, when the visiting Mets rode a four-run first inning to a 6-3 win over the Cincinnati Reds, and the host Marlins avoided a three-game sweep by beating the Washington Nationals 5-3.The win by the Mets (81-74) assured them of just their third non-losing season this decade and kept them 4 1/2 games behind in the race for a National League wild-card spot. The scorching Brewers (86-70), who completed a three-game sweep of the Pittsburgh Pirates with a 4-3 win, are 15-2 in their last 17 games to move into a virtual tie with the Nationals (85-79) for the top wild card.The Brewers are off Monday while the Nationals host the Phillies, who are six games behind the wild-card teams. On Tuesday night, the Mets can hope for some help from the Reds, who host Milwaukee in the opener of a three-game series.Of course, none of it matters if the Mets don't win, and win a lot, in the final week."We're playing good baseball," Mets manager Mickey Callaway told reporters Sunday afternoon. "We just need to continue to put pressure on others and keep moving forward and focus on one game. We're (still) playing for something." The Marlins (54-101) have been playing out the string for most of a second straight rebuilding season. But playing spoiler against the Nationals served as a reminder of the peskiness and resiliency Miami has displayed under Don Mattingly, who signed a two-year extension on Friday to remain the team's manager through the overhaul process.Now the Marlins will look to continue impacting the playoff race during the penultimate series of the season."As for the Nationals, we came in hoping to knock them out of the playoff race a little bit," Marlins rookie outfielder Austin Dean told reporters Sunday afternoon. "Hopefully, that is a little wake-up call for the next couple of games." Matz took the loss in his most recent start Sept. 16, when he gave up seven runs over four innings as the Mets fell to the Colorado Rockies 9-4.Smith earned the win in his most recent start Sept. 17, when he allowed four runs over five innings in the Marlins' 12-6 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks.Matz is 4-3 with a 2.83 ERA in 11 career starts against the Marlins. Smith is 2-0 with a 3.18 ERA in four starts against the Mets.--Field Level Media
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