MIAMI — Two highlight-reel defensive plays and strong pitching helped keep the Mets within one run of the Marlins for most of Friday night, but they couldn’t seize their limited offensive opportunities.
Left-hander Jesus Luzardo’s dominance for 5 ²/₃ innings and well-struck balls later by Pete Alonso and Starling Marte that were caught to stifle scoring opportunities, sank the Mets in a 2-1 loss at loanDepot park.
Jorge Soler’s home run against David Peterson in the second inning stood as the game’s only run before Jazz Chisholm Jr. went deep in the eighth against John Curtiss, in his Mets debut.
Alonso homered in the ninth to get the Mets back within a run before A.J. Puk got the final two outs.
The Mets managed just four hits.
Daniel Vogelbach’s pinch-hit bloop double in the eighth gave the Mets hope of tying the game, but Marte was retired for the third out on a sinking line drive to right field snared by Soler.
The Mets loaded the bases in the sixth with a two-out rally that included two walks and a single against Luzardo, but right-hander JT Chargois entered to retire Alonso on a fly ball that left the bat at 102 mph to keep the Marlins’ lead at 1-0.
The Mets got all they could have wanted from Peterson, who allowed one earned run on eight hits with one walk and five strikeouts over five innings.
It was a continuation of the left-hander’s strong work against the Marlins — he entered 2-1 lifetime with a 2.74 ERA against them.
A quick reaction by Jeff McNeil helped the Mets save a run in the fifth.
Garrett Cooper hit a slow grounder off Alonso’s glove that was directed toward a sliding McNeil, who fielded the ball and threw out Jon Berti at the plate.
Berti had singled leading off the inning and Luis Arraez’s ensuing bunt single put runners on first and second.
Francisco Lindor had the Mets’ other impressive defensive play of the night, leaping to snare Soler’s line drive for the final out of the third inning with Cooper at first base.
Cooper received a gift triple in the first inning when his fly to right field skimmed Marte’s glove, but Peterson’s slick fielding on Chisholm’s comebacker got the final out.
