The Mets lost to the Marlins, 4-1, on Wednesday afternoon as their spring training slate continued.
Here are the takeaways…
– Paul Blackburn, making his spring training debut, was sharp in 1.0 inning of work as he retired the side in order. Mixing in lots of secondary stuff, Blackburn induced two ground outs around a swinging strikeout of Connor Norby.
With injuries to Sean Manaea and Frankie Montas that will keep them out through Opening Day, Blackburn is firmly in the mix for a spot in the starting rotation out of camp. In addition to Blackburn, Griffin Canning and Tylor Megill are also competing for a spot in the rotation, with the Mets undecided regarding whether they’ll open the season with a five-or six-man rotation.
Blackburn missed the end of last season and the entire postseason due to a cerebrospinal fluid leak that eventually led to a spinal procedure. But he is a full go and is expected to be ready for Opening Day.
– Genesis Cabrera impressed in a perfect frame, striking out a pair. Cabrera, who is aiming to win one of the final spots in the bullpen, featured a four-seam fastball, sinker, slider, and curve. His fastball topped out a tick above 95 mph.
Cabrera was solid last season for the Blue Jays, with a 3.59 ERA and 1.46 WHIP in 62.2 innings over 69 appearances. The home run ball was a bugaboo for him, though, as he served up 10.
– Juan Soto got two plate appearances before calling it a day, and he drew a walk his second time up — shortly after using the ABS system to correctly challenge a ball that had been called a strike.
– Pete Alonso smacked an RBI double to right-center in the fifth inning. He’s hitting .667 with a 2.208 OPS this spring.
– Luisangel Acuña entered at third base in the sixth inning. It was his first time playing the position since becoming a professional, and he was tested quickly, as he successfully caught a foul pop up for the first out after the first two batters reached base. He grounded out his only time up.
– Jeff McNeil ripped a double down the right field line in the seventh inning. He finished 1-for-3.
– Jett Williams entered late at shortstop and drew a walk in his only plate appearance.
Highlights
Upcoming schedule
The Mets host the Astros on Thursday at 1:10 p.m.
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