Miami Marlins at New York Mets

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MIA	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	1	2	5	0
NYM	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	5	0

Sandy Alcantara took the ball for Miami at 1:40 PM ET looking to put a bow on a series the Marlins had all but owned, and across the diamond stood a name nobody expected to see in a big-league box score this year: Robert Stock, making his first MLB start since 2021. The 36-year-old righty had his season derailed in March by arterial thoracic outlet syndrome, a rare vascular condition that required surgery and shelved him at Triple-A Syracuse until June. He clawed his way back into the rotation mix and got the call, and for 5 innings he actually outpitched the guy with the reputation.

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FINAL

Spread

ML

Total

Marlins(57-55)

WWWLW

2

-1.5+147-113o8.5-111

Mets(47-65)

LLLWL

0

+1.5-150+111u8.5+111

Best BetMarlins -123

Postgame

The pick cashed clean — Miami closed it out 2-0 and made it 3 wins in this series alone. The bear case about Stock's spark never actually threatened the outcome; his strong start kept it close early, but New York still managed zero runs on the day. Alcantara and the Marlins' recent dominance over this lineup was exactly the story again.

Pregame

Miami's riding a 3-game sweep bid into this one behind a red-hot Alcantara, while the Mets are turning to an unproven arm in Robert Stock. The form gap is real right now, and Miami's the club actually playing meaningful baseball this weekend.

Miami came in banged up on the pitching side too, with Max Meyer, Robby Snelling and Adam Mazur all out of the rotation picture and a bullpen missing Andrew Nardi, Josh Ekness, Ronny Henriquez, Anthony Bender and William Kempner. Center fielder Jakob Marsee got scratched from Sunday's lineup with back spasms, thinning Miami's outfield further. The Mets, meanwhile, were already playing without Juan Soto (calf) and Mark Vientos (fractured hand), and their pen is down Cionel Perez, Justin Hagenman, Reed Garrett and Dedniel Nunez — which is a lot of missing arms for a team trying to scrape together any offense.

Sandy Alcantara

(13-7)·3.43 ERA

Jul 28 vs Phillies

W

7.0IP

0ER

5K

1BB

97P

08/02 Lineup

Robert Stock

(0-2)·6.57 ERA

08/02 Lineup

None of that ended up mattering much once the game actually started. Both lineups went cold, both starters did their jobs, and this one turned into a grind where a single run felt like it might decide everything.

Miami Marlins

(57-55)

Aug 2W@ Mets2-0

Aug 1W@ Mets6-2

Jul 31W@ Mets5-2

Jul 30L@ Mets2-4

Jul 29Wvs Phillies8-6

New York Mets

(47-65)

Aug 2Lvs Marlins0-2

Aug 1Lvs Marlins2-6

Jul 31Lvs Marlins2-5

Jul 30Wvs Marlins4-2

Jul 29Lvs Braves0-1

Miami's now won 4 of its last 5, and 3 of those wins came directly at New York's expense over the last week. The Mets have gone the other direction entirely, dropping 4 of 5 and getting outscored badly across the stretch. There wasn't much reason to expect Sunday to break that pattern, and it didn't.

Miami Marlins

(10)

• Day-To-DayJakob Marsee (CF) — The Marlins scratched Marsee from the lineup for Sunday's game against the Mets due to back spasms, Christina De Nicola of MLB.com reports.08/02
• Day-To-DayMichael Petersen (RP) — Petersen is still dealing with soreness in his right forearm after being struck by a comebacker during his relief appearance in Sunday's 5-3 loss to the Padres, Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald reports.07/27
• 15-Day-ILMax Meyer (SP) — Meyer (neck) will continue treatment and won't throw for the next two weeks, Christina De Nicola of MLB.com reports.07/24
• 15-Day-ILAnthony Bender (RP) — Bender (shin) was cleared to begin a throwing program Friday, Christina De Nicola of MLB.com reports.07/18
• 15-Day-ILWilliam Kempner (RP) — The Marlins placed Kempner on the 15-day injured list Sunday due to a right elbow sprain.07/12
• 60-Day-ILAndrew Nardi (RP) — Nardi (ribs) said Wednesday that he's about 2-to-3 weeks away from beginning a rehab assignment, Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald reports.07/29
• 60-Day-ILJosh Ekness (RP) — Ekness (calf) will begin a rehab assignment with Triple-A Jacksonville on Thursday, Kevin Barral of FishonFirst.com reports.07/22
• 60-Day-ILRonny Henriquez (RP) — Henriquez (elbow) began playing catch from 60 feet out Friday, Christina De Nicola of MLB.com reports.07/18
• 60-Day-ILRobby Snelling (SP) — Snelling underwent internal brace surgery Friday to repair a torn UCL in his left elbow.05/22
• 60-Day-ILAdam Mazur (SP) — The Marlins placed Mazur (elbow) on the 60-day injured list Wednesday.05/08

New York Mets

(8)

• 10-Day-ILJuan Soto (LF) — The Mets placed Soto (calf) on the 10-day injured list Saturday with a strained left calf.07/25
• 10-Day-ILMark Vientos (1B) — Mets interim manager Andy Green said Thursday that Vientos has been diagnosed with a fractured right hand and will be placed on the 10-day injured list, Chelsea Janes of SNY.tv reports.07/10
• 15-Day-ILCionel Perez (RP) — The Mets placed Perez on the 15-day injured list Friday with a left forearm strain.07/31
• 60-Day-ILClay Holmes (SP) — Holmes (fibula) is tentatively scheduled to make a rehab start at High-A Brooklyn on Sunday, Chelsea Janes of SNY.tv reports.08/01
• 60-Day-ILJustin Hagenman (RP) — The Mets announced June 1 that Hagenman (rib) has yet to resume a throwing program, MLB.com reports.07/13
• 60-Day-ILDedniel Nunez (RP) — Nunez (elbow) will begin a rehab assignment with Single-A St. Lucie on Thursday, Michael Mayer of MetsmerizedOnline.com reports.06/25
• 60-Day-ILReed Garrett (RP) — The Mets placed Garrett (elbow) on the 60-day injured list Tuesday.05/08
• 60-Day-ILTylor Megill (SP) — The Mets placed Megill (elbow) on the 60-day injured list Thursday, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.05/08

Stock's story is the one worth remembering here regardless of the final score. Four months removed from a surgery that can end careers, he struck out 4 Marlins over 5 innings in his first big-league outing in 5 years — a legitimately great sports story buried inside a game the Mets had no business losing this quietly. Alcantara, for his part, kept doing what he's done to this lineup all series: limiting the damage and letting his offense find just enough.

Final score: 2-0 Marlins, with New York managing 5 hits and exactly zero runs across 9 innings. It's the kind of loss that doesn't change the standings picture much for either club, but it capped a series that made clear which of these two teams is playing with more urgency right now.