Prado homers, but Marlins fall out of WC race

MIAMI — Days shy of October, Mets manager Terry Collins’ head is swimming with the possibilities of postseason play. There are tiebreakers to consider, play-in games and National League Wild Card scenarios running every which way. There are thoughts of pitchers on short and extra rest, tune-up starts and must-win games. There are planes, trains and buses, ready to whisk the Mets in umpteen different directions.

But first, the Mets must qualify for such madness. They took another step in that direction on Wednesday with a 5-2 victory over Miami, taking two of three at Marlins Park.

Seth Lugo pitched 5 1/3 innings to extend his personal winning streak to five, while James Loney and Jay Bruce backed him with two-run homers. The loss officially eliminated the Marlins from postseason contention. Entering the night, they needed to win their remaining games and have the Giants lose all of theirs just to force a Wild Card tiebreaker.

Now, the Giants and Cardinals are left for the Mets, who remain in a tight race with those two teams. Wednesday’s win temporarily moved the Mets one game ahead of the Giants for the best record among Wild Card contenders and two games ahead of the pursuing Cardinals. San Francisco and St. Louis are both scheduled to play on Thursday, while the Mets are idle.

Martin Prado gave the Marlins an early lead with a two-run homer off Lugo in the first inning, but starting pitcher Jose Urena could not hold it. The Mets finished the season 12-7 against the Marlins, who are locked into third place in the NL East.

MOMENTS THAT MATTEREDCatching fire: Bruce’s longtime reputation for streakiness did not …

continue reading in source mlb.mlb.com