3/16 Game Recap: New York Mets Fall to Miami Marlins 4-2

With David Wright on the shelf for the next few days with his mild intercostal strain, Terry Collins said he would be giving Justin Turner a look at third base, and got the start today in Port St. Lucie against the Marlins. He looked good at the hot corner, as he was the only Met to have a hit through three innings off Miami starter Henderson Alvarez. He made a nice defensive play in the top of the fourth, but as he was preparing this throw the ball across the diamond the Ike Davis, he rolled his ankle, stumbling to the ground. He limped pretty heavily off the field, but he’s currently diagnosed with an ankle strain. Kevin Burkhardt mentioned that Adam Rubin and Andy Martino tweeted from the clubhouse that Turner wasn’t limping as badly as he was on the field, but we will see the extent of the injury tomorrow morning when he wakes up and tries to walk on it.

Highlights:

March 16, 2013; Port St Lucie, FL, USA;New York Mets starting pitcher Shaun Marcum (38) throws a pitch against the Miami Marlins in the spring training game at Tradition Field. Mandatory Credit: Brad Barr-USA TODAY Sports

• Shaun Marcum got the start today, and put together a solid start. He threw four innings, allowing two runs on five hits and one walk, without striking anyone out. He cruised through the first three frames, and the Marlins were only able to put runs together on the board following the throwing error from Turner.
• Brandon Lyon continues his solid spring in preparation for the regular season, throwing a 1-2-3 inning in the fifth in relief of Marcum. His spring ERA is 1.93.
• Pedro Feliciano and Greg Burke both put in an inning of work, as Feliciano gave up a run.
• Jeurys Familia didn’t have his control in 1.1 innings pitched, as he threw a wild pitch, while walking three and allowing a home run. He did strike out two hitters, though.
• Ike Davis singled and walked, raising his spring batting average to .367.
• Travis d’Arnaud ripped a double to left and walked, as he’s now hitting .308 this spring.
• Lucas Duda didn’t record a hit, but did provide a productive out, driving in the first run of the ballgame for New York in the bottom of the fourth.
• Omar Quintanilla also drove in a run with an RBI groundout in the bottom of the seventh, while also putting together some solid defense at shortstop.

Thoughts:

It was encouraging to see Marcum put together another strong start; with Johan Santana‘s status still up in the air (and most likely starting the season on the disabled list), it’s important to have one veteran starting pitcher occupying a spot in the rotation with the likes of Jonathon Niese, Matt Harvey, Dillon Gee, and Jeremy Hefner.

Brandon Hicks came in to substitute for Turner after he exited the ballgame, but depending on how long Turner will be sidelined, I would like to see Zach Lutz get some reps at third base, who is hitting .344 this spring.

I watched Ike Davis single up the middle during the ballgame, and I was delighted to see him take a pitch back through the box with two strikes. Both him and Duda have shown an improved approach at the plate by showing a willingness to take pitches to left field, which is refreshing.

Sam Maxwell made this point earlier and I think it’s an intriguing one; with Wright on the shelf, Murphy still on the mend, and Duda’s spot on the roster not guaranteed, could d’Arnaud still be in Big League camp because the Mets are seriously considering bringing his bat north to provide some pop? An interesting notion, especially if he continues to hit and Duda’s spot officially becomes in jeopardy.

Next up:

The Mets stay home as the welcome the Braves to town for a 1:10pm start at Tradition Field. The St. Patrick’s Day tilt will be aired on PIX11 and on WFAN.

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