Marlins 3, Mets 0
NEW YORK -- Henderson Alvarez threw seven shutout innings Saturday afternoon, when Donovan Solano scored the Miami Marlins' first run and produced their second with a solo homer in a 3-0 win over the New York Mets in the first game of a doubleheader at Citi Field.
The Marlins (55-92) won for just the third time in their last nine games. The Mets (65-82) fell to 3-10 this month and clinched their fifth straight losing season.
Alvarez entered Saturday having posted a 6.67 ERA over his last six starts, but he allowed just four hits, walked none and struck out five in tying a season high with the seven scoreless frames. He also threw seven shutout innings in a no-decision against the Brewers on July 21.
Chad Qualls threw a perfect eighth inning and Steve Cishek recorded his 30th save by working around a one-out walk and striking out the side in the ninth. He has converted 25 straight save opportunities.
Solano was hit by a pitch by Carlos Torres in his first two plate appearances and scored the Marlins' first run with two outs in the fourth, when Logan Morrison blooped a single into shallow center field for Miami's first hit.
Solano led off the sixth with a homer off Torres. The Marlins tacked on a run in the eighth, when Christian Yelich doubled, stole third and scored on Morrison's infield out.
Morrison's line drive glanced off the right wrist of Frank Francisco and bounced to first baseman Lucas Duda, who tagged out Morrison. Francisco bent down in obvious pain and was helped from the field.
Yelich finished 2-for-3 with a pair of stolen bases.
The Mets got just three runners into scoring position against Alvarez, whose mental gaffe in the second generated the Mets' lone legitimate threat.
Lucas Duda led off with a single and Matt den Dekker singled one out later. Travis d'Arnaud followed with a comebacker to the mound, but Alvarez, thinking there were two outs, casually flipped the ball to first. He then hit Omar Quintanilla and went to a full count with Torres before he induced another comebacker.
In the seventh, den Dekker doubled with one out and went to third on d'Arnaud's fly out, but Solano saved the shutout by making a sliding stop of Quintanilla's grounder and throwing him out by a step.
den Dekker was the lone Met with two hits.
Torres allowed two runs on three hits and two walks while striking out a career-high eight over six innings.
NOTES: The doubleheader was necessitated by a rainout on June 7. ... The Mets activated RHP Jeurys Familia from the 60-day disabled list prior to the doubleheader. To make room for him on the 40-man roster, they moved RHP Bobby Parnell to the 60-day disabled list. Familia, who underwent surgery to remove bone chips and loose bodies from his right elbow on June 5, hasn't pitched for the Mets since May 8. ... The Savannah Sand Gnats, the Mets' Single-A affiliate in the South Atlantic League, won the league championship series with a 2-0 win over Hagerstown in Game 4 of the best-of-five series on Friday night. ... The two-steal game was Yelich's first as a big leaguer. ... Marlins RHP Sam Dyson will make his first major league start in Monday's series opener against the Phillies.
