MIAMI — An irate Sandy Alderson could be heard dropping the f-bomb as the Mets general manager stormed out of the manager’s office Friday night, with his frustration evidently piqued by a non-call in a jaw-dropping loss.
Twice in the final two innings at Marlins Park, the Mets had the potential tying run thrown out at the plate. The final act was left fielder Marcell Ozuna’s rope to catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia that nailed Kirk Nieuwenhuis for the last out of the game, icing the Mets’ 3-2 loss to the Marlins.
But it was a replay review an inning earlier that left the Mets angry. David Wright admittedly was “out by about 10 feet” trying to score from second on Eric Campbell’s single, but Wright and manager Terry Collins argued Saltalamacchia was blocking the plate without the ball, in violation of MLB’s new rules to prevent home-plate collisions.
Alderson, the chairman of MLB’s Playing Rules Committee, said he contacted the commissioner’s office to lodge a complaint, but was forced to bite his tongue afterward.
“The rule as currently written is the product of a negotiation between the players’ association and Major League Baseball — it is not the rule that was written by the Playing Rules Committee,” Alderson said. “Beyond that, I can’t really comment on the plays tonight, because it would compromise my league-wide position as chairman of the Playing Rules Committee. I do have a couple of thoughts as general manager of the Mets that I can’t really share tonight.”
Asked about his outburst leaving Collins’ office, Alderson said: “Everybody was frustrated at the end of the game for a variety of reasons and I’ll leave it at that.”
Third-base coach Tim Teufel’s decision to send Nieuwenhuis in the ninth on Chris Young’s fly ball to medium left field appeared clear cut. Only a perfect throw would nail Nieuwenhuis, and Ozuna rose to the challenge.
“Hats off to Ozuna, he made a great throw,” Nieuwenhuis said. “There is no other way to put it.”
Less clear cut was the decision to send Wright against Ozuna’s arm on Campbell’s RBI single in the eighth that pulled the Mets within 3-2. But Collins defended the decision.
“You’ve got to make people make plays,” Collins said. “We’re not exactly driving in runs, so when you have an opportunity to make them make plays, you do it.”
Wright’s beef was that plate umpire Lance Barrett didn’t call Saltalamacchia for blocking the plate without the ball. The decision was upheld by replay.
“It’s not the umpires’ fault or the replay’s fault, I think it’s just a confusing thing in general,” Wright said. “This isn’t a bashing or calling out or anything, I’m just a little confused.
Obviously, I got thrown out by about 10 feet, it wasn’t a real close play, but at the same time I think he was blocking it, and they thought he wasn’t so it’s a little confusing, so hopefully we’ll be used to it and adjust to it.”
Henderson Alvarez made it 18 ¹/₃ scoreless innings against the Mets, dating to April 25, with his strong performance Friday. The right-hander fired 6 ¹/₃ shutout innings in which he allowed seven hits and no walks. In his last appearance against the Mets, on May 6 at Marlins Park, he pitched a complete-game shutout.
Vic Black surrendered two runs, one unearned, in the seventh to put the Mets in a 3-0 hole. Adeiny Hechavarria’s RBI double off Wright’s hand scored the final run of the inning, after Anthony Recker’s throw to third on an attempted steal by Jake Marisnick sailed into left field for a run.
In the seventh inning, Ruben Tejada hit into the Mets’ second double play of the night, after Recker’s one-out single had removed Alvarez from the game.
Daisuke Matsuzaka pitched 5 ¹/₃ innings and allowed one run on six hits with one walk and four strikeouts. He departed with runners on the corners in the sixth, but Josh Edgin escaped the jam by getting Garrett Jones to hit into a double play.