MIAMI — Garrett Cooper, Curtis Granderson and Brian Anderson all homered and drove in two runs to power the Miami Marlins to an 8-4 victory over the New York Mets on Friday night in the first game after the All-Star break for both clubs.
The Marlins beat the Mets for the fourth straight time.
Miami’s Caleb Smith (5-4) pitched six innings, allowing two unearned runs and three hits. He struck out six and worked around a season-high five walks.
Granderson and Cooper hit back-to-back home runs as part of a four-run third inning for the Marlins off Jason Vargas (3-5) to take a 4-2 lead.
It was Granderson’s eighth of the season, Cooper’s ninth.
Granderson and Cooper also keyed another rally for the Marlins in the sixth. Granderson led off with a walk and Cooper hit a double off the glove of center fielder Michael Conforto on a deep fly ball, scoring Granderson and ending Vargas’ outing.
Anderson immediately followed with a two-run homer, his 12th, off Robert Gsellman to give the Marlins a 7-2 lead.
Starlin Castro added an RBI triple in the eighth to cap the scoring for the Marlins.
The Mets took an early lead on a two-run single by Wilson Ramos.
Todd Frazier hit a two-run homer in the ninth for the Mets.
Astros’ Marisnick suspended for plate collision with Lucroy
ARLINGTON, Texas — Houston Astros outfielder Jake Marisnick was suspended for two games by Major League Baseball for his violent home plate collision with Los Angeles Angels catcher Jonathan Lucroy before the All-Star break.
Marisnick said he still felt terrible about the play and had a rough couple of days during the break to digest the situation. He also said he had spoken with Lucroy, who sustained a concussion and a broken nose.
Joe Torre, MLB’s chief baseball officer, said he thoroughly reviewed the play from all angles. While acknowledging he didn’t believe Marisnick intended to injure Lucroy, Torre said the actions in last Sunday’s game warranted discipline because they violated MLB rules designed to protect catchers from that type of situation.
Marisnick, who also was fined, appealed the suspension and was available to play in the series opener against Texas though he wasn’t in the starting lineup.
Phillies reliever Pat Neshek’s hamstring injury could cost him rest of season
PHILADELPHIA — Pat Neshek was told that he could return from his hamstring injury for the final weeks of the season, but he also admitted Friday afternoon that his season may be finished.
Neshek said he had an MRI three weeks ago that revealed a Grade 2 strain of his left hamstring. The image showed a partial tear and a hamstring that was off the bone, Neshek said. A week later, Neshek received an injection of platelet-rich plasma, which will sideline him from baseball activity for six to eight weeks. That timeline gives him a chance to return in early or mid September. Gabe Kapler said the team is “hopeful” Neshek will pitch again this season.
“Well, if I had a setback, there’s a possibility. Yeah, definitely,” Neshek said about possibly not pitching again this season. “The timeframe he’s given me though is early to mid-September. I’ve never had hamstrings before, so I know I’m on the older side so it’s probably going to be closer to the eight weeks is what doctors told me.”
Neshek is a free agent after the season. He turns 39 in September and has battled injuries in both seasons of the $16.25 million two-year contract he signed before last season. He has a 5.00 ERA this season in 20 appearances, the last coming on June 19. It is unlikely that the Phillies would want to bring back Neshek or that Neshek would want to return. His Phillies career is likely in its final months. And he may have already thrown his final pitch.
MLB All-Star Game TV rating down from record-low 2018
NEW YORK — Baseball’s All-Star Game had a record low television rating.
The American League’s 4-3 victory over the National League on Tuesday night in Cleveland had a 5.0 rating and 11 share on Fox, according to Nielsen Media Research. The game was seen by an average of 5.93 million households and 8.14 million viewers.
That is down from the previous record low rating of 5.2 and 8.69 million viewers for the AL’s 8-6, 10-inning victory last year.