MIAMI – The Mets came here Friday after losing two of three to the Braves. They left yesterday in a better mood after completing a three-game sweep of the Marlins.
The 6-4 victory at Dolphin Stadium capped the Mets’ second three-game sweep of the season; the first was over the Cardinals in the season-opening series in St. Louis.
The Mets not only took the trio of games here against the Marlins, but also only trailed for a total of one inning the whole weekend as they completed a six-game road trip.
“It was a big series,” said Billy Wagner, who earned his 12th save although he allowed a solo home run to Miguel Olivo in the ninth. “You’re hoping to take two out of three. But when you get that sweep, that’s icing on the cake.”
According to the Elias Sports Bureau, it was the Mets’ first three-game sweep in Miami since Oct. 1-3, 1993 – the Marlins’ initial year of existence.
Last year’s Mets club was terrific, but it didn’t manage that feat. And this season’s Mets have a better record than the 2006 club did at this point. Last year, as the Mets prepared for their 50th game, they were 30-19. But with game 50 of 2007 set to be played tomorrow at Shea Stadium against the Giants, the Mets are 32-17 – at least a two-game improvement.
“It just shows how good we are really,” Willie Randolph said.
The Mets also are 15 games over .500 for the first time this season, and because the Braves lost yesterday, they’re now 4½ games ahead in the NL East.
The Mets had lost two of three to the Braves last week at Turner Field. But as David Wright noted, that’s history because of the sweep.
“It’s huge,” Wright said. “I think more than anything it proves to ourselves that we can rebound after a letdown and don’t let things prolong or spin out of control. We put our foot down and moved past Atlanta.”
In yesterday’s victory, Randolph said there was a “nice contribution from everyone,” and he was right. Jorge Sosa pitched a strong game, allowing just two runs in 52/3 innings to improve to 4-1 on the year. Five Mets drove in runs, five Mets scored runs and all eight starters reached base at least once with either a hit or walk.
Defensively, the Mets have not committed an error for seven straight games.
“When you’re playing good defense,” Randolph said, “you don’t even notice it.”
The Mets were behind 1-0 going into the fourth inning after Alfredo Amezaga’s sacrifice fly drove in Reggie Abercrombie in the bottom of the third, but they put up a four-spot in the fourth and never trailed after that.
With two on and one out, Carlos Delgado continued his clutch hitting, ripping an RBI single to right to drive in Carlos Beltran and tie the game at 1-1. Damion Easley then put the Mets up with a soft grounder to second that was set to bring in one run but brought in two – Wright and Delgado – because of Dan Uggla’s throwing error. Endy Chavez’s RBI single scored Easley and bumped it to a 4-1 bulge.
In the fifth, Wright lined an RBI double to drive home Baltran, making it 5-1. Julio Franco brought home Ramon Castro with an RBI single in the eighth for the Mets’ final run.
Sosa was magnificent in his first three starts for the Mets, but on Tuesday against the Braves, he suffered his first loss and gave up five runs in four innings. Yesterday, though, the right-hander surrendered just five hits and a walk, striking out two.
“I was feeling better today, more comfortable on the mound,” Sosa said, “and I was throwing more strikes.”
Mets 6 Marlins 4