Clay Holmes pitched six scoreless innings, and Pete Alonso homered and drove in two runs as the New York Mets remained in playoff contention, defeating the host Miami Marlins 5-0 on Saturday.
In the battle for the final National League wild-card berth, New York (83-78) started the day trailing Cincinnati due to the Reds holding the tiebreaker.
The Marlins (78-83) were eliminated from contention on Thursday.
Holmes (12-8), a converted reliever, allowed just one hit and three walks, lowering his ERA to 3.53.
The Mets also got nearly perfect relief pitching from Brooks Raley, Tyler Rogers and Edwin Diaz as Miami was held to just one hit all game.
Miami’s Eury Perez (7-6) took the loss despite striking out a career-high 11 batters. He allowed three hits, three walks and three runs in 5 1/3 innings.
For the second straight day, New York opened the scoring in the first inning. Francisco Lindor, who hit a leadoff homer on Friday, drew a four-pitch walk, advanced on a wild pitch and scored when Alonso lined a 3-1 fastball into left-center for a double.
It was Alonso’s 41st double of the season, placing him three behind Bernard Gilkey’s franchise record set in 1996.
The Mets extended their lead to 2-0 in the third as Alonso swung at an elevated, 101-mph fastball and turned it around for a homer. The exit velocity on that pitch was 111 mph.
It was his 38th homer of the season — 14 to left, 14 to center and 10 to right.
Holmes, who retired Miami’s first eight batters, didn’t face a jam until the fifth, when he issued a pair of two-out walks before getting Xavier Edwards on a groundout.
In the sixth, the Mets made it 3-0 as Alonso walked, advanced on a balk and scored on Jeff McNeil’s two-out double off reliever Lake Bachar.
The Marlins came close in the seventh as two of their three outs against Raley came on drives to the warning track by Eric Wagaman and Otto Lopez.
New York added two more runs in the ninth on Lindor’s RBI single and a wild pitch.
–Field Level Media
