The Miami Marlins, with the third-lowest payroll in the majors, have won a season-high four straight games.
The New York Mets, who have the highest payroll in the majors, have struggled, losing seven of their last nine games.
On Sunday afternoon, the teams with the worst records in the National League East will face off in Miami, with the Marlins looking for a three-game sweep.
During their winning streak, the Marlins have found various ways to win. Their first three victories were shutouts, and on Saturday, they rallied to defeat the Mets 10-9 in 10 innings.
Miami was trailing 9-5 in the ninth inning before scoring four runs off struggling Mets closer Edwin Diaz, whose ERA has jumped from 2.13 to 5.50 due to three blown saves in the past two weeks.
Marlins manager Skip Schumaker praised his team’s perseverance on Saturday.
“Our guys don’t stop believing,” he said. “It’s a cliché, but it’s true. Seeing Diaz come in and still believing we had a chance says a lot about our clubhouse.”
Interestingly, Schumaker was self-critical on Saturday.
“Good players cover a manager’s mistakes,” he said. “I was late going to the bullpen a few times. I managed that game terribly. But we won, and that overshadowed things.”
Despite their winning streak, the Marlins still have the worst record in the National League at 15-32, while the Mets are 20-25. However, since starting the season 12-8, the Mets have gone 8-17.
Diaz is just one of New York’s problems, but their inability to close games has hurt them.
“My confidence is down,” Diaz admitted. “I’m throwing strikes and trying to help the team win, but right now, I’m not able to.”
On Sunday, the Mets will try to contain Miami’s Jazz Chisholm Jr. and Josh Bell, who both went 3-for-5 on Saturday, with Bell driving in four runs and Chisholm three.
Marlins second baseman Otto Lopez, who replaced Luis Arraez after he was traded to the San Diego Padres on May 4, had the game-winning hit on Saturday.
“My confidence is at 100,” said Lopez, who had only 10 MLB at-bats before this season. “I have worked hard to get to this point in my career.”
Sunday’s pitching matchup will feature Mets left-hander Sean Manaea (2-1, 3.05 ERA) against Miami right-hander Sixto Sanchez (0-1, 5.96).
Manaea has made two career starts against the Marlins, going 0-1 with a 5.40 ERA. The Mets are 5-3 when Manaea starts this year, and both of his outings this month have been quality starts.
Sanchez, who has never faced the Mets, is 25 years old and showed promise in 2020, going 3-2 with a 3.46 ERA in seven starts. However, injuries have limited him to just one appearance over the next three years, which came in 2023 in one inning at Double-A Pensacola.
This year, the Marlins are 2-9 in his 11 appearances. His longest outing this season was 4 2/3 innings on Monday in a 6-5 loss to the Detroit Tigers, where he did not factor into the decision.
