Grandy homers twice as Lugo, Mets cruise

NEW YORK — For most of the season’s second half, the Mets’ trademark starting pitching has flagged and, in some cases, faltered. Matt Harvey is done for the season. Steven Matz may be, as well. Jacob deGrom recently skipped a start due to poor performance. Noah Syndergaard, for a large swath of midsummer, was pedestrian.

But the Mets have patched things together to the chagrin of the Marlins and every other National League Wild Card contender. Seth Lugo continued to author his surprise success story on Tuesday, holding the Marlins to two runs in six innings of a 7-4 Mets victory at Citi Field. The victory moved New York a game in front of the Marlins in the Wild Card race, and temporarily within two games of the Cardinals for a postseason berth.

Making his third start in place of Matz, Lugo coughed up a Christian Yelich two-run homer in the first inning but nothing after that. From the second through sixth innings, he scattered two hits and a walk, striking out four.

Marlins starter Tom Koehler also settled down in the middle innings after giving up an Asdrubal Cabrera two-run homer in the first. But unlike Lugo, Koehler did not stay settled; he allowed the first of Curtis Granderson’s two home runs in the sixth inning, departing after all three batters to face him in the sixth reached base. Koehler gave up five runs on 10 hits for a Marlins team that has not only lost four straight, but 17 of 27 overall in August.

Jose Reyes finished 4-for-5 for the Mets, contributing his fifth multi-hit game in his last 11 contests. J.T. Realmuto knocked a solo homer in the ninth off Jim Henderson.

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