Bour homers twice, but the Mets win 8-6

Justin Bour has been working all week to hit to the opposite field to help him jump start his somnolent bat and perhaps even expand his spray chart to make him a less predictable hitter; after all, he only hit two opposite field home runs in 2017. He would equal that total tonight.

However, it would not be enough for victory. Thanks to two solo home runs from the Mets’ second baseman Asdrubal Cabrera, and some shaky ninth inning fielding from rookie Brian Anderson, the New Yorkers would get their seventh straight victory by a score of 8-6.

After going up 3-0 against Marlins starter Caleb Smith, thanks in part to a solo shot from Cabrera, things were looking good for the Mets. Jacob deGrom, their most consistent starter, was cruising.

But, in the bottom of the fifth Yadiel Rivera, Derek Dietrich and Miguel Rojas came out aggressively against deGrom, slapping three singles off his first five pitches of the inning to put the Fish on the board. After a sacrifice fly from Starlin Castro drew the Marlins within one, Justin Bour came through with his first home run of the year: a two-run opposite field shot to put the Marlins up, 4-3:

Boy, did Bour need that, and Marlins fans had to be thrilled watching him start to heat up.

After the Mets tied it up in the sixth, in the bottom of the seventh Bour struck again to put the Fish up 6-4 with another two-run shot to right field:

The thrill was short-lived as the Mets struck back with solo homers from Wilmer Flores, and the second of the night from Asdrubal Cabrera:

Then, in the ninth inning with Brad Ziegler on the mound, Brian Anderson threw wildly to first base to put Amed Rosario on with the go-ahead run. After Michael Conforto walked, Yoenis Cespedes doubled on a ground ball down the third base line which Anderson could have at least knocked down, but was unable to. Two runs came in to give the Mets an 8-6 lead, and Jeurys Familia would come in to close out the game with his sixth save of the season.

The Mets go to 9-1 on the young season and have won seven straight, while the Marlins fall to 3-8.

Jarlin García gets his first start of the season tomorrow night at 7:10 EDT, as Miami look to avoid the three-game sweep. Zach Wheeler makes his 2018 debut on the hill for New York.

Fish Bytes:

• Dietrich, Anderson and Castro all had two hits tonight, and all are hitting over .300 so far this season.
• Caleb Smith had a fifth starter worthy night, giving up three runs over five innings while striking out seven Mets.
• Drew Steckenrider continues to look more like a closer than actual closer Brad Ziegler. Steckenrider struck out the side in his inning of work, and has yet to give up a run this season.

King Fish: Justin Bour with 2 HR and 4 RBI

Flounder: Brian Anderson with a big error in the ninth.

Turning Point: See “Flounder”

fangraphs

Welcome to the Game 11 thread! Don’t forget to place your Icthyomancy picks (explained below).

Attendance

Attendance is a big deal in Marlins baseball, like it or not. In each game, we will guess the attendance of the game, home or away, and the closest guess will be worth 2 points.

Individual Games

You can make your best prediction for game scores. A pass costs you nothing. Post your prediction of the score, and if it’s a direct hit (with the correct teams), that’s three points. If you pick the correct winner and by the actual number of runs, that’ll be two points. Predict which team wins, and that’s a single point.

Individual Predictions

These are our prop bets. You’re allowed to make up to two “outside the box” predictions for each contest. Points will be awarded based on the probability of something happening. If you’ve predicted something unfathomably rare (a no-hitter, pitcher hits two home runs, Justin Bour steals seven bases) and it comes true, that’s going to be a lot of points. Everyday things will be worth less. What the heck? The game is free - swing for the fences!

Matchup Summary

The Mets (8-1) have been red hot, and are on a six game winning streak. Meanwhile, the Marlins have been, well, not. The Fish are looking to stay afloat while starters such as J.T. Realmuto are still on the disabled list. The Mets throw their most consistent starter, Jacob deGrom against the Marlins tonight, while Caleb Smith looks to solidify a spot in the Miami rotation.

Thread Question:

How many runs will Miami score tonight?