MIAMI — The Mets have plenty of questions heading into 2012, and it’s clear closer will be one of them.
Bobby Parnell coughed up another ninth-inning lead, but he was bailed out by Nick Evans in the 12th in last night’s 7-4 win over the Marlins at Sun Life Stadium that lasted four hours and 29 minutes after the game was delayed at the start for 74 minutes by rain.
It didn’t have to be so difficult.
Parnell entered with the Mets holding a 4-2 lead, but Mike Cameron tied it with a two-out, two-run double.
Three innings later, Evans followed an Angel Pagan single and Jason Bay double with a run-scoring single to put the Mets up for good. It was Evans’ third hit of the night.
For Parnell, it was his fourth blown save of the season as the experiment of putting him in Francisco Rodriguez’s old role continues to go poorly.
“We’re going to talk to Bobby [today],” manager Terry Collins said. “There’s a couple of things [pitching coach] Dan [Warthen] talked to him about pitch locations that he’s got to be able to make. He’s got a great arm and great stuff, but the bases on balls hurt him.”
Evans went 3-for-6 and has 20 hits in his last 52 at-bats (.386), with 12 RBIs in his last 13 starts at first base.
“He’s got something to prove,” Collins said.
Ryota Igarashi got one out to improve to 4-1 and Josh Stinson pitched a scoreless 12th for his first career save.
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Fans aren’t exactly flocking to see the Mets’ final series at Sun Life Stadium. There looked to be less than 1,000 people at last night’s game despite the announced attendance of 22,318 . . . David Wright was named NL Player of the Week yesterday for the week ending Sept. 4.
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Chris Schwinden is expected to make his first major league start in tomorrow’s doubleheader against the Braves at Citi Field . . . Val Pascucci, 32, arrived in the majors for the first time since 2004. He played in the final game for the Expos, an 8-1 loss to the Mets at Shea Stadium and hadn’t been back in the majors since.