Carlos Carrasco dug a hole too deep for the Mets to climb out of.
The veteran’s outing started and ended with a bang in the Amazins’ 7-2 loss to the Marlins on Sunday at Citi Field. Bryan De La Cruz drilled a three-run homer to left in the first and Garrett Cooper delivered the final blow with a two-run homer in the fifth before Carrasco was removed from the game two batters later.
The right-hander made it through 4.2 innings being charged six runs while striking out three. Carrasco added another brutal outing to his card as his first start of the season resulted in five runs in four innings of work against the Brewers on Apr. 3.
The 36-year-old’s fastball has seen a hard dip in velocity. His heater came in at an average of 91.3 miles per hour Sunday, two miles per hour slower than his 93.3 average fastball in 2022.
Mets’ top prospect Francisco Alvarez got a front-row seat to the Marlins’ shellacking as the catcher trotted out for his first big league game of the season.
Alvarez was sent down to Triple-A Syracuse on March 22 to work on his defense but was recalled Thursday due to catcher Omar Narvaez’s calf strain that landed him on the injured list.
The neophyte added an error Sunday by throwing the ball into centerfield on a stolen base by Jean Segura in the seventh and allowed five stolen bases on the afternoon.
The 21-year-old delivered an RBI single in the bottom of the second, however, he whiffed with runners on second and third and one out in the fifth with the Amazins down 3-1. The rookie finished 1-for-4 with two strikeouts at the plate.
Wasting opportunities with runners in scoring position was a theme on Sunday as the Mets couldn’t finish the sweep of the Fish. Buck Showalter’s lineup was just 2-for-12 with runners in scoring position with the biggest opportunity coming in the bottom of the fifth as Eduardo Escobar weakly grounded out to third with the bases loaded as the tying run.
Marlins’ starter Braxton Garrett danced in and out of trouble throughout the afternoon. The southpaw surrendered nine hits and a walk during his 4.2 innings of work with just two earned runs to show for it. Pete Alonso’s RBI single followed by Mark Canha’s double knocked Garret out of the game.
The Mets’ bullpen attempted to limit the damage after Carrasco’s implosion. Stephen Nogosek spared Showalter of using multiple relievers by taking on the bulk of the work replacing the right-hander in the top of the fifth.
The 28-year-old tossed 3.1 innings giving up one run in the seventh on De La Cruz’s sacrifice fly that gave the Marlins a 7-2 lead. Dennis Santana replaced Nogosek and hurled a scoreless ninth inning, however, the Mets went down without a fight in the final frame.
Starling Marte was removed from Sunday’s game with a neck strain. The outfielder went down on the field after sliding head-first into third base on a stolen base. Marte remained in the game initially but was removed in the top of the second due to a neck strain.
The team announced that the 34-year-old is considered day-to-day.
Marte ripped a double down the left field line in his only at bat. The All-Star is 10-for-33 (.303) with a homer and four stolen bases this season.
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