Major League Baseball
NY Mets 8, Miami 0
When: 7:10 PM ET, Wednesday, June 28, 2017
Where: Marlins Park, Miami, Florida
Temperature: Indoors
Umpires: Home - Mike Muchlinski, 1B - Ryan Blakney, 2B - Mark Wegner, 3B - Marty Foster
Attendance: 18743

MIAMI -- For a guy who didn't want to play second base, Asdrubal Cabrera is tearing it up at his new position.

Cabrera and Curtis Granderson each hit two-run homers and Steven Matz pitched seven scoreless innings to lead the New York Mets to an 8-0 win over the Miami Marlins on Wednesday night at Marlins Park.

After coming off the disabled list June 23, Cabrera, a 31-year-old veteran of more than 1,000 major-league games at shortstop, was moved to second base by Mets manager Terry Collins.

Cabrera was not happy and asked for a trade. Since then, however, he has hit .476 (10-for-21).

"That (trade request) was in the moment," Cabrera, a native of Venezuela, said in Spanish. "It was a problem of communication. But that's in the past, my brother. I'm going to do my job at any position."

Cabrera, who has played 214 career games at second base, also addressed the issue in English.

"I'm a professional," said Cabrera, who also made an impressive diving catch at second base and left the game in the late innings because of what he described as minor cramping in his legs. "I've played that position before. You can see my numbers when I play second."

You can also check the home run numbers for the Mets (35-42), who have hit a franchise-record 50 long balls this month. The last National League team to accomplish that feat was the 2006 Atlanta Braves.

Meanwhile, the Marlins (35-41) had their two-game win streak snapped. They are 14-11 this month, 5-4 on this homestand and 7-5 this year against the Mets.

Matz (2-1) lasted at least six innings for a ninth consecutive start, his career-best streak.

He allowed six singles and one walk. Perhaps he was extra comfortable in Miami -- in three career starts at Marlins Park, he is 2-0 with a 0.99 ERA.

Matz said he threw more curveballs than normal in this start.

"My pitch mix is different every start based on the scouting report," Matz said. "I'm going to stick to my strengths, but I'm also going to look to where they can do damage against me."

Miami's Jeff Locke (0-4, 5.52) took the loss, allowing three runs in 5 2/3 innings. He has yet to win in his brief Marlins career, consisting of six starts.

Locke got off to a poor start as New York scored three runs in the first inning. Cabrera drilled a two-run homer to left, and Jose Reyes slapped an RBI single between third and short. It was Cabrera's seventh homer of the season.

"When you give up that blast to Cabrera and that becomes the deciding factor in the game," Locke said, "it makes you want to take that lap again."

There were no do-overs, however. And Miami, which had scored three runs in each of its past three first innings, went down 1-2-3 in the first.

That, as it turned out, was indicative of what was to come.

"We didn't have too many opportunities against Matz," Marlins manager Don Mattingly said.

The Mets extended their lead to 6-0 in the seventh. Travis d'Arnaud doubled and Jose Reyes singled to set up the rally. T.J. Rivera hit an RBI groundout, and Granderson pulled his two-run homer to right-center field for his 12th homer of the season. He has homered in three straight games, one short of his career best.

New York made it 8-0 in the eighth on a two-run pinch-hit single by Brandon Nimmo.

That was more than enough for the Mets, thanks to Matz and Cabrera, who gave them that quick lead two batters into the game and also played solid defense, involved in two double plays.

"He can play second base -- there's no big adjustment," Collins said of Cabrera. "He's a tremendous infielder with great hands. I'm hoping he relaxes a little bit, and he goes off on the offensive side. We need his bat."

NOTES: Miami removed LHP Justin Nicolino (0-1, 4.95 ERA) from the rotation, sending him to the bullpen where he allowed one run in one-third of an inning. The Marlins will need a starter on Saturday, and it could be RHP Tom Koehler, who is on a minor-league rehab assignment. ... Mets RHP Robert Gsellman (left hamstring) went on the disabled list after getting hurt running to first base on Tuesday. The Mets recalled INF Matt Reynolds from Triple-A Las Vegas. ... Mets OF prospect and ex-NFL QB Tim Tebow struck out on three pitches in his first at-bat since being promoted to High-A St. Lucie. But he later homered. ... According to a published report and advanced metrics, Miami's J.T. Realmuto is the fastest catcher in the majors. ... Mets LF Michael Conforto (left wrist contusion) sat out his second straight game.
Top Game Performances
Starting Pitchers
NY Mets   Miami
Steven Matz Player Jeff Locke
Win W/L Loss
7.0 IP 5.2
4 Strikeouts 4
6 Hits 4
0.00 ERA 4.76
Hitting
NY Mets   Miami
Jose Reyes Player Tyler Moore
3 Hits 1
1 RBI 0
0 HR 0
4 TB 1
.750 Avg 1.000
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Hits HR TB Avg LOB K RBI BB SB Errors
NY Mets 10 2 18 .286 11 9 8 4 0 0
Miami 7 0 7 .219 14 6 0 2 0 0