MIAMI — Boos resonated throughout loanDepot park after Friday night’s fifth inning, but this wasn’t an indictment on the home team.
No, these jeers were from Mets fans — who comprised the majority of the crowd as usual for their team’s visit to South Florida — venting displeasure at this ugliness placed before them.
Brandon Sproat got knocked around before he could even complete his second turn through the batting order, Gregory Soto dumped kerosene on the fire and the Mets lineup couldn’t touch Sandy Alcantara after the first inning.
And now, with this 6-2 loss to the Marlins, the plot has again thickened.
The Reds played a later start in Milwaukee and were in position to reclaim the lead — based on holding a tiebreaker against the Mets — for the National League’s third and final wild-card spot.
The Reds entered the night one game behind the Mets — with Arizona, which trailed by two, playing even later in San Diego.