MIAMI — Jeff McNeil hit a tiebreaking homer leading off the ninth inning and the New York Mets knocked the Miami Marlins out of playoff position with a 2-1 victory Monday night.
Mark Vientos had an RBI single and José Butto pitched six stingy innings to help the fourth-place Mets play spoiler again with their second consecutive win over a postseason contender. New York also beat the Cincinnati Reds at home on Sunday.
Miami fell a half-game behind the idle Chicago Cubs for the third and final National League wild card. Cincinnati is also a half-game in front of the Marlins after defeating Minnesota on Monday night.
McNeil pulled a slider from closer Tanner Scott (8-5) over the right-field wall for his 10th homer. That snapped a string of seven straight scoreless outings for Scott, who hadn’t allowed an earned run in 18 appearances since July 31.
Phil Bickford (5-5) pitched a perfect eighth for the win, and Adam Ottavino closed for his 11th save.
Luis Arraez had two hits for Miami and increased his season total to 201. He became the fourth Marlins player to reach 200 in a season.
Butto shut down a Miami lineup that scored 36 runs in a three-game sweep of the major league-leading Atlanta Braves last weekend. The right-hander struck out six and scattered four hits while allowing one run.
Jorge Soler nearly gave the Marlins a 3-1 lead with a two-run homer in the sixth. After he finished his trot around the bases, the umpires huddled and ruled Soler’s towering drive down the left-field line sailed foul above the pole. The call stood following a replay review, and Soler ultimately struck out.
Vientos’ run-scoring single off Marlins starter Edward Cabrera in the fifth put New York ahead 1-0. Ronny Mauricio hit a one-out single and stole second. Omar Narváez walked before Vientos hit a line drive to center that scored Mauricio.
Miami tied it in the bottom half when Jesús Sánchez scored from third on Joey Wendle’s double-play grounder. Sánchez drew a leadoff walk and advanced two bases on Garrett Hampson’s single.
Cabrera was lifted after 5 1/3 innings. The right-hander gave up one run, four hits and struck out four.
ROSTER MOVES
The Mets reinstated INF Luis Guillorme from the injured list and optioned INF Jonathan Araúz to Triple-A Syracuse.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Mets: OF Starling Marte (right groin strain) is with the club in Miami. Marte has appeared in two games since July 16.
Marlins: RHP Sandy Alcantara (right forearm flexor strain) said he felt good after throwing his second bullpen. The reigning NL Cy Young Award winner has been sidelined since Sept. 6.
UP NEXT
Mets LHP Joey Lucchesi (3-0, 2.83 ERA) starts the middle game of the series Tuesday night against LHP Braxton Garrett (9-6, 3.67).
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