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NEW YORK -- The New York Mets and Miami Marlins played one of the wildest games of the season Friday night. Conditions may be ripe for another back-and-forth affair Saturday night, when the two National League East rivals meet in the middle game of a three-game series at Citi Field.
The Mets scored five runs in the seventh inning Friday to complete a six-run comeback and edge the Marlins 8-7. New York (13-15) has won five of seven to move into sole possession of second place in the NL East, one game ahead of Miami (12-16), which has lost eight of ten, and the Philadelphia Phillies.
The Marlins chased Mets starter Rafael Montero -- who is in the majors only because ace Noah Syndergaard suffered a torn lat in his most recent start last Sunday -- during a six-run fourth in which they took a 7-1 lead. But Marlins right-hander Tom Koehler could only last five innings before exiting with a 7-3 lead, and New York pounced against right-hander Brad Ziegler, who allowed all six batters he faced in the seventh to reach base.
"I think it's a huge lift," Mets manager Terry Collins said afterward. "We've been through this the last couple years. You've got to be resilient. You've just got to play nine innings and go up and put good at-bats (together)."
New York has scored five runs or more in eight straight games
The bullpens could be busy again Saturday, when struggling Mets right-hander Robert Gsellman (1-2) is scheduled to face Marlins right-hander Odrisamer Despaigne, who was recalled from Triple-A New Orleans on Friday to replace injured left-hander Wei-Yin Chen both on the 25-man roster and in the rotation.
Gsellman has produced a 6.75 ERA in his first six games (five starts) this season. He earned the win in his most recent start Monday, when he allowed five runs over five innings as the Mets edged the Atlanta Braves, 6-5. It was the fourth time Gsellman has lasted five innings or fewer in a start.
The Marlins planned for Chen to make the start until Thursday, when he reported feeling a dead arm during his bullpen session.
"To us it looked pretty good, but he felt like he couldn't make his next start," Marlins manager Don Mattingly said Friday night. "At that point we were like, OK, send him back to Miami to see the doctors."
Mattingly said he hopes Chen spends the minimum amount of time on the 10-day disabled list.
Despaigne was 0-1 with a 3.06 ERA in four starts at New Orleans, though he has walked 13 while striking out nine over 17 2/3 innings.
Gsellman is 0-1 with a 6.52 ERA in two career starts against the Marlins. Despaigne is 0-0 with a 4.00 ERA in two games (one start) against the Mets, though he carried a no-hitter into the eighth inning for the San Diego Padres against New York on July 20, 2015. Daniel Murphy broke up Despaigne's bid for the Padres' first-ever no-hitter with a two-out double.
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