Mets 8, Marlins 6
Juan Lagares recorded a career-high four hits, scored three times, drove in a pair of runs and stole two bases as visiting New York evened its three-game series with Miami at one victory apiece.
David Wright collected three hits and drove in as many runs as the Mets avenged a sloppy six-error performance on Monday to improve to 9-6 against their National League East rival. Travis d'Arnaud also notched three of New York's 16 hits to aid Jonathon Niese (8-10), who snapped a two-start losing streak despite allowing six runs on 10 hits in six innings.
Giancarlo Stanton belted his NL-leading 35th homer and Christian Yelich slapped an RBI single among his three hits for the Marlins, who reside 5 1/2 games behind Milwaukee in the race for the second wild card. Brad Penny (1-1) was battered while making his first start since Aug. 14, permitting four runs on seven hits in three innings to fall to 5-14 lifetime against the Mets.
After Wright and Lagares each drove in and scored a run to stake New York to an early 4-0 lead, Stanton launched a two-run shot off the sculpture in left-center field for his second homer in as many days to trim the deficit to one. Lagares and Wright helped regain the four-run advantage as the former greeted Anthony DeSclafani in the fourth with an RBI single before the latter blasted a run-scoring ground-rule double to ignite a three-run fourth inning.
Reed Johnson's sacrifice fly and Yelich's RBI single cut Miami's deficit to 7-5 in the bottom half, but Wright plated Niese with a sacrifice fly in the sixth. Adeiny Hechavarria scored after recording his 10th triple of the season in the bottom of the frame, but the Marlins were kept at bay as Jenrry Mejia struck out a pair in the ninth for his 22nd save.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Stanton joined Gary Sheffield as the only Marlins players to record at least 35 homers and 100 RBIs in a season. Sheffield accomplished the feat for then-Florida in 1996. ... Wright recorded his 24th career three-hit performance versus the Marlins, tying Philadelphia's Jimmy Rollins for the most against the franchise. The Mets captain also had doubles on consecutive at-bats after notching his last extra-base hit versus Washington on Aug. 7. ... Miami LHP Dan Jennings tossed two scoreless innings in his first appearance since getting drilled in the head by a line drive in Pittsburgh on Aug. 7.