HOWIE RUMBERG
AP Sports Writer
NEW YORK (AP) — Mets manager Terry Collins quickly changed out of his uniform and met the media in slacks and a purple polo shirt Sunday, in a hurry to make his All-Star break flight.
The way the Mets are playing, though, Collins and his team sounded as if the real rush was to get back to playing baseball.
Jacob deGrom had a tiebreaking single and again shut down the Marlins with seven impressive innings, David Wright doubled twice and drove in two runs, and New York completed a three-game sweep of Miami with a 9-1 victory.
Wright, Curtis Granderson and Juan Lagares each had RBI doubles, and Chris Young added a sacrifice fly for New York in its eighth win on a 10-game homestand heading into the four-day break.
“You hate to take a break when we’re swinging the bats well, getting great pitching performances — our bullpen’s been fantastic,” Wright said. “We’re kind of clicking on all cylinders, so hopefully we pick up right where we left off.”
Wright has been on a tear since coming back July 5 after missing seven days with a bruised left rotator cuff. After this 2-for-4 day, he is 12 for 33 (.363) with seven RBIs in nine games. Despite his streak, Wright had a cortisone shot in the shoulder after the game.
“There are no issues with my shoulder,” Wright said.
Wright, Young, Lucas Duda and Anthony Recker each drove in a run with the bases loaded in the eighth, a situation the Mets have struggled in all season. New York even benefited from a rare obstruction call for a run in the sixth inning as they jumped over the Marlins, losers of four straight, and into third place in the NL East at 45-50.
What makes this streak — the second-most wins in a 10-game homestand since Citi Field opened in 2009 — especially encouraging is that it followed a demoralizing trip in which the Mets lost six of seven.
“These guys just stepped it up,” Collins said. “You can say it, you can think it, but when you actually do it and have success doing it, it changes things.”
DeGrom (3-5) had little trouble in his 12th career start, striking out eight and allowing five hits and a run even though he didn’t have his best stuff.
He also produced at the plate.
A .273 hitter (6 for 22) coming in who has batted eighth in the lineup, deGrom got his first big league RBI after Brad Hand (0-2) intentionally walked Ruben Tejada to face the lanky former college shortstop. DeGrom lined a single to center for a 2-1 lead.
“I wanted to get a hit when I saw them walk Tejada,” deGrom said. “I just barreled the ball.”
Hand was knocked out of the game with a bruised right shin. He took a sharp grounder off the leg in the fourth and then was removed for a pinch-hitter in the fifth. He is day to day.
Hand yielded three runs and six hits, falling to 1-12 as a starter.
“It is pretty sore right now,” Hand said. “I mean it felt fine the rest of that inning but when I came in and sat down for a little bit, it did not feel very good after that.”
The Mets were already leading 4-1 when Granderson, who had three hits, a walk and an RBI, led off the sixth with a single.
An out later, Wright hit a sharp grounder over third base. Rounding second, Granderson slightly altered his path to avoid second baseman Ed Lucas. Second base umpire Will Little immediately pointed at Lucas to indicate obstruction.
Granderson raced home but was called out on a close tag play at the plate. Before Collins could post an argument about the out call, Little came in and emphatically gestured toward second base then gave a sweeping safe sign.
“It did not look like he interfered with him to me,” Marlins manager Mike Redmond said. “I mean Granderson is a pretty fast guy, I do not know if I have ever seen that called.”
The Marlins tied it in the fourth thanks to some help from Eric Campbell, who misplayed a fly to medium right field in his first major league start at second base into a double for Garrett Jones.
Marcell Ozuna then beat out an infield single to shortstop for a run.
NOTES: The Mets came in batting .165 (13 for 79) with the bases loaded. … The Mets will use RHPs Bartolo Colon, Dillon Gee and Zack Wheeler in the first three games after the break, at San Diego. The rest of the rotation will depend on the health of several pitchers, one being Jonathon Niese. The left-hander threw off the mound for first time since going on the DL on July 6 with a shoulder strain and said he felt great. … RHP Nathan Eovaldi will likely start the first game for the Marlins against San Francisco in Miami. … Eric Young Jr. had a pinch-hit single and two stolen bases, and he also grounded out, in the eighth.
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