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Lagares' big game lifts Mets over Marlins

Sep 3, 2014 - 4:46 AM Miami, FL (SportsNetwork.com) - Juan Lagares recorded four of New York's 16 hits, scored three times, drove in two runs and stole two bases as the Mets downed the Miami Marlins, 8-6, in the middle test of a three-game series.

David Wright went 3-for-4 with three RBI and two runs scored, while starter Jon Niese (8-10) earned the win despite allowing six runs on 10 hits over six innings of work.

"I had to battle," Niese said. "Fortunately we had some good offense tonight."

Giancarlo Stanton hit a two-run homer, and Christian Yelich added three hits, an RBI and a run scored for the Marlins, whose outside hopes at making the postseason have taken a hit with their recent 3-7 stretch.

The Marlins used five relievers in Monday's 9-6 victory after starter Henderson Alvarez suffered a left oblique strain in the third inning, and they needed four more on Tuesday with Brad Penny (1-1) only working three frames.

"Giving up (four) runs early doesn't give you a very good chance to win," Penny said.

One of those relievers was Dan Jennings, who made his first appearance since taking a line drive off his head in a game against the Pirates at Aug. 7. Jennings pitched two innings of scoreless ball in his return.

Penny's struggles began early as New York plated two runs in the first inning on base hits by Wright and Matt den Dekker, and they pushed two more across in the second when Lagares doubled in Wilmer Flores and scored on a wild pitch.

Wright's two-base error with two outs in the third allowed Yelich to score from second, and Stanton followed with a two-run shot -- his NL-leading 35th of the year -- off the gargantuan structure beyond the center field wall.

Anthony DeSclafani relieved Penny in the fourth and was just as ineffective. Lagares singled in another run and scored on a ground-rule double by Wright, who came around on Lucas Duda's base hit to make it a 7-3 game.

A sacrifice fly from Reed Johnson and an RBI single from Yelich in the home fourth cut the deficit to two runs, but that's as close as Miami got.

Wright tacked on another Mets run with a sac fly in the sixth, and Adeiny Hechavarria tripled and scored on Garrett Jones' groundout in the bottom half.

Relievers Carlos Torres, Jeurys Familia and Jenrry Mejia each tossed an inning of relief to close out the win, with Mejia picking up his 22nd save.

Game Notes

Stanton extended his career-high RBI total to 101. The last Marlins player to drive in 100 runs was Dan Uggla (105) four years ago ... Penny, who came in 5-13 with a 6.25 ERA in 23 games (21 starts) against the Mets, was charged with four runs on seven hits ... Travis d'Arnaud also had three hits for the Mets.