Derek Hill scored the tying run in the seventh inning and hit the go-ahead RBI single an inning later as the visiting Miami Marlins salvaged the finale of a three-game series by edging the New York Mets 3-2 Sunday afternoon.
Nick Fortes lofted a sacrifice fly in the third inning while Hill, Emmanuel Rivera and Otto Lopez had two hits apiece for the Marlins, who improved to 6-10 this month.
Francisco Lindor laced an RBI single and Brandon Nimmo homered for the Mets, who began the day a game behind the Atlanta Braves in the race for the final wild-card spot in the National League.
Reed Garrett (7-5) issued three walks while recording two outs in the eighth before Hill greeted Phil Maton with a single to left-center to score Jonah Bride.
Calvin Faucher, the Marlins’ fifth pitcher, worked around a pair of ninth-inning singles to preserve the win for Andrew Nardi (3-1), who walked one in two-thirds of an inning.
Lindor’s single extended his hitting streak to 12 games. Jose Iglesias singled twice and drew a pair of walks in four plate appearances.
Valente Bellozo gave up two runs on seven hits and two walks while striking out four over 5 1/3 innings for the Marlins. The Mets’ Paul Blackburn allowed one run on four hits and one walk while striking out four over six innings.
The Marlins had a hit apiece in the first two innings before scoring in the third, when Lopez led off with a triple past diving center fielder Tyrone Taylor and scored on Fortes’ flyout to center.
The Mets were hitless in their first seven plate appearances with runners on before Lindor’s two-out RBI hit in the fifth. Nimmo put New York ahead by hitting Bellozo’s second pitch of the sixth into the second deck in right field.
Hill legged out an infield single against Huascar Brazoban with one out in the seventh, went to third on Rivera’s single and scored on a wild pitch to tie the game.
–Field Level Media