MIAMI — The Miami Marlins spent June engaged in methodical but fruitful climb out of the basement in the National League East. The New York Mets can begin
July by cementing their unimaginably rapid descent to the bottom of not just the
division but the entire Senior Circuit.
The Marlins will look to move into sole possession of fourth place in the NL East
Sunday
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free-falling Mets in the finale of a three-game series at Marlins Park.
Marlins right-hander Dan Straily (3-3, 4.82 ERA) is scheduled to oppose Mets left-hander Steven Matz (3-5, 3.69 ERA).
The Marlins came back from an early two-run deficit Saturday to earn a 5-2 win over the Mets and their ace, right-hander Jacob deGrom. The win completed
the best month of the season for Miami (34-50), which went 14-14 while winning
five of nine series.
“That’s how you climb is continue to win series, continue to win series,” Marlins manager Don Mattingly told reporters Saturday. “Hopefully somewhere in
there, you throw an eight- or 10-game winning streak together to really take a
chunk out of something.”
The Mets (32-48) are doing the exact opposite. New York went 5-21 in June, during which it lost eight of nine series and split the other. It was the
third-worst month in franchise history behind/ahead of only July 1963 (4-25) and
August 1982 (5-24).
In the process, the Mets went from five games out of first place and eight games ahead of the Marlins to tie for last, 14 1/2 games out of first. The two
teams are tied for the worst record in the NL, though Miami is technically
percentage points ahead of New York heading into Sunday.
The Mets are 21-47 since opening 11-1, the best 12-game start in franchise history. Only the Baltimore Orioles have a worse record since Apr. 13.
The Mets have not been in last place in the NL East after July 1 since 2005, when they had a 77-77 record while occupying fifth place on Sept. 24. This squad
appears far more likely to flirt with 100 losses than with
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remain patient.
“We just have to keep on having daily conversations to try and right the ship,” Callaway told reporters Saturday. “It’s difficult right now. I know the
players are feeling it. I know the fans are feeling it. We’re going to continue
to do everything we can with the staff, the organization and the players to try
and get in a better spot than we are. Because this isn’t acceptable to
anybody.”
Straily earned the win in his most recent start last Monday, when he allowed three runs over 6 1/3 innings as the Marlins beat the Arizona Diamondbacks, 9-5.
Matz didn’t factor into the decision last Tuesday, when he gave up three runs
over seven innings as the Mets beat the Pittsburgh Pirates, 4-3.
Straily is 1-1 with a 3.04 ERA in five career starts against the Mets. Matz is 2-2 with a 3.67 ERA in five starts against the Marlins.
Atlanta Braves pitcher Mike Foltynewicz was beginning to emerge as a top-of-the-rotation type starter when he experienced some tightness in his right
tricep.
After spending 10 days on the disabled list, he will try to regain that form in the series opener against the streaking Cincinnati Reds.
Foltynewicz (5-4, 2.16 ERA) will be opposed by Cincinnati’s Tyler Mahle (6-6, 3.89) in the first game of a three-game set at SunTrust Park.
It won’t be an easy assignment for Foltynewicz. The Reds have won seven straight — 10 of their last 11 — and are coming off a sweep of the Chicago Cubs.
On Sunday, the Reds scored seven runs in the seventh inning and swept the Cubs
in a four-game series for the first time since 1983.
Since Jim Riggleman became the team’s manager, Cincinnati is 29-30 and the Reds have won 24 of their last 42.
The Braves and Reds split a four-game series in April in Cincinnati.
Foltynewicz has only pitched five innings in the two starts after his complete-game shutout against the Washington Nationals on June 1. He threw five
scoreless innings against the New York Mets before leaving with the arm issues
on June 12.
The former first-round draft choice, who was acquired from the Houston Astros in 2015, has made 14 starts this season and allowed two or fewer earned runs in
13 of them. He has had four scoreless starts. He ranks fourth in the National
League in ERA.
Foltynewicz received no decision in his April 23 start against the Reds. He left after 4 2/3
innings
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with seven strikeouts. In four career starts against the Reds, he is 1-0 with a
2.31 ERA.
Mahle has been hot, going 3-0 with a 1.61 ERA over his last four starts. The Reds have won all four of his starts in June, in which he has allowed four runs
in 22 1/3 innings. He beat the Detroit Tigers in his most recent start, giving
up two runs and fanning eight in six innings.
“Tyler did a great job,” Riggleman said after Mahle’s last start. “It seems like we’ve got six and eight innings from a lot of our starters. You’ve got a
chance to win the ballgame. When you do that, you get a chance to use your
bullpen the way it should be used and a lot of times good things are going to
happen.”
Mahle started against the Braves on April 24 and gave up three runs in six innings with a career-high 11 strikeouts. Mahle took a no-hitter into the
seventh before losing it on a leadoff homer by Atlanta’s Freddie Freeman. The
Reds eventually lost that game in 12 innings.
The Braves’ bullpen took a jolt on Sunday when closer Arodys Vizcaino was placed on the 10-day disabled list with right shoulder soreness. Vizcaino, who
had not pitched since June 17, had a cortisone shot earlier in the week and
still wasn’t feeling well enough to pitch by the weekend.
“His shoulder is not responding like we wanted it to,” Atlanta manager Brian Snitker said. “It was one of those situations where if he wasn’t ready to pitch
(Sunday), we had to back off it and get it right, because it wasn’t
working.”
Atlanta activated right-hander Evan Phillips to take Vizcaino’s spot on the roster. Phillips had 50 strikeouts in 35 innings and a 2.33 ERA for Triple-A
Gwinnett.
