NewsMarlins blanked by Mets' Misch in finale
Volstad goes four innings in spot start for ailing Johnson
By Alden Gonzalez / MLB.com
09/27/09 5:44 PM ET
MIAMI -- This wasn't the last impression the Marlins wanted to leave their South Florida fans for the 2009 season. But a complete-game shutout by Pat Misch and three runs given up by last-minute starter Chris Volstad gave the Mets a 4-0 victory at Land Shark Stadium, moving the Marlins closer to making Sunday not just the final home game of the regular season, but the final home game altogether.The loss, combined with the Phillies' 6-5 defeat of the Brewers on Sunday, moved Florida to 7 1/2 games back in the National League East, eliminating them from the division race, and, given the Rockies' win over the Cards, five back in the NL Wild Card race with just six contests remaining.
Now, Florida will hit the road for three games each against the division-rival Braves and Phillies. And if any miracles are accomplished to end this season, that's where they will come.
"At the end of the day, if things don't end up working out, I look at it as a missed opportunity," second baseman Dan Uggla said when asked what his mind-set would be if the Marlins hung around all year but came up short of the playoffs. "It doesn't matter how close you get if you don't get in."
Hours before the final regular-season home game, the mood was festive in Land Shark Stadium, with several activities going on for the announced crowd of 31,167. But things quickly turned dim in the Marlins' clubhouse, when it was announced that their ace pitcher, Josh Johnson, had caught a flu bug and would be scratched from his start.
That meant the burden of keeping this dwindling Marlins season alive fell on the young shoulders of Volstad, a promising rookie last season who sported a 14.54 ERA in his previous three starts entering Sunday.
That meant the postgame mood at Land Shark Stadium was pensive at best, as players quietly packed up their bags and emptied out their lockers following what would likely be their final game in South Florida until next spring.
"Obviously we'd rather be a little bit closer and not on the brink of being eliminated, but we've fought and battled all year," said outfielder Cody Ross, whose season may or may not be over because of a left wrist contusion. "We've had some good times and bad times. But there are a lot of teams out there that would like to be in our situation, because we still have a little bit of hope."
Volstad, who came in with a 1.86 ERA in three career starts against the Mets, said he found out he was going to be making the start in place of Johnson just before 11 a.m. ET. A little more than two hours and four innings later, he left the game having given up three runs on five hits and two walks to take the loss.
But he didn't use pitching on short notice as an excuse.
"I had an idea even earlier than that before they officially told me, so I had time to prepare," said Volstad, who threw 66 pitches in moving to 9-13 on the season.
"It's like being in the bullpen and getting called in, kind of, so I was ready to go."
Misch had given up eight runs to the Braves on Monday, but completely shut the Marlins down, despite dealing with his share of trouble.
Through his nine shutout innings, the 28-year-old left-hander gave up eight hits and three walks. But he got some help from the Marlins, who were already 0-for-5 with runners in scoring position through the first four frames.
In the first inning, the Marlins had runners on second and third with nobody out, but Hanley Ramirez, Jorge Cantu and Dan Uggla were all retired to end it.
As manager Fredi Gonzalez said, "The first inning set the whole tone. But I tell you what, you have to tip your cap to Misch. Nine innings of shutout baseball, and he kept us off-balance the whole day."
Through the final four innings, the Marlins went 0-for-12 at the plate and finished their home slate with a whimper.
"We had guys on base, but [Misch] just got out of everything," rookie outfielder Chris Coghlan said. "He got the double-play balls that he needed, and he made the pitches that he needed to make.
Besides Misch's dazzling outing, it was all Jeff Francoeur for the Mets.
The 25-year-old right fielder led off the second with a single and came around to score on Josh Thole's sacrifice fly three batters later to put the Mets on the board. Then, in the third, he gave New York a 3-0 lead with a two-run homer.
Finally, he robbed Coghlan of a home run in the seventh when he ranged to the warning track in right-center field, leaped over the wall and landed back on his feet with the ball in his glove and a smirk on his face.
"I came down with both feet down in bounds," Francoeur said, in reference to the end zone being located in right field during football games at Land Shark Stadium.
"That sums up the day," Coghlan said about the catch. "Great play."
Alden Gonzalez is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
