Marlins-Mets suspended after long delay; Monday finish in play

NEW YORK — Jazz Chisholm Jr. and Yuri Gurriel had consecutive run-scoring hits in the ninth inning as Miami rallied to take a 2-1 lead over the New York Mets, but the game was suspended by rain at 12:58 a.m. after a 3-hour, 17-minute delay.

Miami had moved into the third and final NL wild card spot when the Chicago Cubs lost at Atlanta earlier Thursday.

Miami (82-76) is a half-game ahead of the Cubs (82-77), who finish with three games at NL Central champion Milwaukee. The Marlins close with three games at Pittsburgh and would have to return to New York on Monday to complete the game against the Mets if it’s needed to determine a postseason spot.

Miami holds the tiebreaker against the Cubs after winning the season series 4-2.

The game would be resumed at the point of suspension if needed to determine a playoff berth. It would resume at 1:10 p.m. ET on Monday.

If the game isn’t needed to decide a postseason spot, the score would revert to a 1-0 Mets victory under 7.02 (b) (4) (A).

“We’re trying to win a game,” Mets manager Buck Showalter said. “And we have sympathy for what they’re trying to accomplish, too. But I’m trying to do what’s best for the New York Mets.”

San Diego (79-80) avoided elimination for another night because Miami couldn’t finalize a win.

Rafael Ortega‘s one-out RBI single in the eighth off Andrew Nardi put the Mets ahead.

Bryan De La Cruz singled leading off the ninth against Grant Hartwig and Garrett Hampson struck out. Chisholm Jr. greeted Anthony Kay with a double and scored on Gurriel’s pinch-hit single. The game went into a rain delay with runners on first and second, and two outs in the top of the ninth.

The Marlins ran themselves out of potential go-ahead rallies in the third, when Jon Berti was picked off in a 1-3-4-2-6 rundown, and the fifth, when a lengthy video review determined De La Cruz did not cross home plate before Xavier Edwards was tagged out after over-sliding second base on a potential inning-ending forceout.

Marlins starter Jesus Luzardo allowed four hits, struck out 10 and walked one in 7 1/3 innings. His 208 strikeouts are the most for a Miami left-hander.

David Peterson struck out eight in seven innings for the Mets, lowering his ERA to 5.03. He was demoted to Triple-A on May 16 with an 8.08 ERA but recorded a 3.38 ERA in his final 19 appearances following his recall June 26.

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.