Kodai Senga showed flashes of dominance with eight strikeouts over five innings, but defensive miscues and a sluggish offense led to the New York Mets (2-3) falling 4-2 to the Miami Marlins (4-2) on Tuesday night at LoanDepot Park.
New York’s offense struggled to gain momentum, managing just one baserunner after the third inning until Juan Soto worked a walk to open the ninth. A fielder’s choice and a single by Brandon Nimmo brought the go-ahead run to the plate, but Miami’s Anthony Bender secured the win by retiring Mark Vientos and Jesse Winker to end the game.
Senga’s outing began on a rough note as he surrendered a leadoff double to Xavier Edwards and a two-run homer to Kyle Stowers on elevated fastballs. After settling in, his forkball induced three straight swinging strikeouts in the third. A costly two-out walk in the fourth allowed Graham Pauley to capitalize on a misplaced cutter, extending Miami’s lead with a two-run double. Senga rebounded with a strong fifth inning, striking out Stowers to cap his night.
Max Kranick provided stability out of the bullpen, retiring all nine batters he faced across three perfect innings.
Anthony Volpe delivers grand slam, career-high five RBI in return as Yankees sweep Rockies Brandon Nimmo powered the Mets’ offense, launching a solo home run in the second inning. Luisangel Acuña impressed with a ground-rule double and solid defense, while Francisco Lindor snapped an early-season slump with an RBI single.
The Mets conclude their series against the Marlins on Wednesday at 4:40 p.m. before heading home for Opening Day at Citi Field on Friday.
Kyle leads sports coverage and hosts the Concrete Jungle podcast. Have a lead or question? Send it to kyle@fingerlakes1.com.