Game #5: Mets 7, Marlins 3

The first half of the ballgame was reminiscent of last night's ugly affair. Then the Captain got a rally going and the Mets rode the Buck all the way to victory.

John Buck drove in four runs, including three of New York's five between the 6th and 7th innings as the Mets took the second game of the series from the Marlins, 7-3.

The Good Stuff:

(NYDailyNews.com)

• John Buck got the scoring going in the 1st inning with a sac fly to right field that scored Mike Baxter. Five innings later with his team down 2-1, he delivered again with a two-run double to plate David Wright and Ike Davis.
• Tied 3-3 in the 7th, Mike Baxter got the ball rolling with a one-out walk. He then promptly stole second and went to third on a throwing error by catcher Miguel Olivio. All Daniel Murphy needed to plate him was a bloop single, but instead Murph sent a rocket to the wall in center and ended up on third with an RBI triple. Wright then plated Murphy with a single to cap a 3-4 day at the plate. Wright then followed Baxter's script, stealing second and ending up on third via another Olivio error. Ike Davis was then walked intentionally to get to Buck, who made Miami pay with his second sac fly of the game.
• Collin Cowgill provided some insurance in the 8th inning, poking a solo home run into the Party City Deck to lock in place the final line.
• The offense came too late for Jonathon Niese, who didn't factor into the decision despite another strong outing: 6 innings, 8 hits, 2 runs (1 earned), 2 walks, and 5 strikeouts on 100 pitches.
• Brandon Lyon struck out two to breeze through the 8th inning and Bobby Parnell shut down the Fish 1-2-3 in the 9th to secure the W.

The Bad Stuff:

• Scott Atchison coughed up Niese's lead in the 7th inning by putting a baserunner on that Josh Edgin inherited and let score.
• Ruben Tejada committed his fourth error in five games, rushing a double play throw in the 5th inning that lead to an unearned run. It took until late June for Tejada to pick up his fourth error last season.

Final Analysis:
John Buck has been as hot as hot can be to start his Mets tenure, hitting .421 with 2 home runs and 9 RBIs and helping Jon Niese and the rotation post a 1.40 ERA in its first five starts. Take him out of the equation and this comfortable 3-2 start for the New Yorkers would likely be closer to 0-5 than the other way around. Buck will eventually cool off, but hopefully not too soon. His team will need all the offense they can get while in pursuit of a winning month.

MM