Marlins Fall to Mets 12-1

Even though there were no pre-game tributes tonight, signs of Jose Fernandez's memory were still present. Aside from the jersey patches that the Marlins will be wearing for the rest of 2016, some players had his initials still written on their caps, including Mets shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera.

At first, it seemed as though Miami was on the verge of scoring several runs early on. In the bottom of the first, Dee Gordon bunted his way on before stealing second. Marcell Ozuna then continued his success against Noah Syndergaard by knocking in Gordon on a groundball single to right field. Unfortunately for the Fish, that would be the end of their scoring for the night.

In the top of the second, Tom Koehler let up a two-run shot to Jay Bruce into the upper deck of right field. This was a welcomed sight for Bruce, who has been dreadful since joining the Mets at the deadline. Yoenis Cespedes followed Bruce's lead in the third inning by tagging Koehler for another two-run bomb deep into left-center field. Afterwards, Adeiny Hechavarria saved Koehler from potentially giving up more runs in that inning by making an incredible catch to rob T.J. Rivera of a hit.

After Koehler's early exit in the fourth innings, the Marlin's bullpen was able to keep shut the Mets out until the eighth innings. Curtis Granderson and Lucas Duda both had multiple RBI hits which served to break the game open. Relievers Austin Brice and Mike Dunn combined to give up five earned runs that inning. Unfortunately, the damage continued in the ninth, where Ordisamer Despaigne surrendered three runs on four hits. While Miami's offense was mostly abysmal tonight, Justin Bour also continued to thrive against Syndergaard as he was 2 for 3. Hechavarria also added a hit, going 1 for 2.

Although this loss occurred through a large margin, it's really tough to blame these players for struggling. The effort they put out last night was incredible, especially since it was only a day after the passing of Fernández. But it's very difficult to reciprocate those types of results when they are still just beginning the process of grieving their brother. However, tomorrow is a new day. The Fish will send out Jose Urena to oppose New York's Seth Lugo in the rubber game of this series. Their chances of winning that game appear to be favorable, considering that Ureña has only given up two earned runs over 12 innings in his last two starts against the Mets.