Our Noticias 8/20/20: Pablo emerges, but Fish lose fifth-straight

Pablo López engaged reigning Cy Young Jacob deGrom in a pitcher’s duel Wednesday night, surrendering just two runs in 6.1 innings while deGrom shut out the Fish through six. Neither hurler would emerge victorious however, as Miami rallied back to tie the game at three in the eighth. Brandon Kintzler would give up a two-run homer to Michael Conforto in the ninth to hand the the Marlins their fifth-straight loss and leave their record at .500. Playoff odds now sit at just 12.6 percent.

• After the game, manager Don Mattingly pronounced López the team’s de facto ace:

• Caleb Smith revealed he has built up to 45 pitches as he works his way back from the COVID-19 IL.
• The Fish look to break their season-high losing streak while also avoiding a four-game sweep Thursday at Marlins Park. The Mets, facing rotation difficulties of their own, will convert longtime shutdown reliever Seth Lugo (1-2, 2.61 ERA) back into a starter for at least the immediate future, and he’ll face Daniel Castano (0-1, 4.35 ERA). Game time is at 6:10 PM.