MIAMI (AP) - Leaving the mound for the final time Friday night, Jacob deGrom broke into a jog as he reached the steps to the clubhouse and disappeared, eager to put the game behind him as quickly as possible.
The Miami Marlins scored for the first time in 27 innings, pounded deGrom for seven runs and snapped a seven-game losing streak by beating the New York Mets 8-6.
DeGrom (3-5) gave up nine hits, and the run total against him was a season high. The reigning NL Cy Young Award winner’s ERA rose from 3.26 to 3.98.
“Tonight’s on me. I did a terrible job out there,” deGrom said. “I let it get out of hand.”
It was too much for the Mets to overcome, even with two solo home runs by Pete Alonso , giving him 14 this year. J.D. Davis added his fourth homer for New York.
Trevor Richards (1-5) allowed three runs in 6 1/3 innings for his first victory in nine starts this year. Sergio Romo stranded two runners in the eighth and another in the ninth for the first two-inning save of his 658-game career.
“A pretty emotional win for us,” Romo said. “We just beat one of the best pitchers in the world. That’s pretty good.”
Garrett Cooper’s two-run single in the third brought home Miami’s first runs since Saturday - also against deGrom.
“We had a few games where we didn’t score,” Cooper said. “Just to help the team get going, it helped everybody. That’s what I’m trying to do.”
Jorge Alfaro hit a 456-foot home run , only the Marlins’ second homer this month, and drove in three. Brian Anderson doubled twice and scored twice.
For deGrom, the performance was reminiscent of a rocky three-game stretch in April when he battled a sore elbow. In his three most recent outings he had allowed a total of only three runs, but he said he’s still fighting inconsistency.
“I’m not being able to throw the ball where I want to right now,” he said. “I wish I knew what it was. I’m trying to make the adjustment. If I knew, I’d probably fix it.”
Manager Mickey Callaway said the problem is deGrom missing the target with his usually nasty slider.
“It’s just not quite getting it there,” Callaway said. “It’s not quite spinning when he gets it there, and it’s easier to hit.”
Miami, shut out in the past two games, broke through in the third against the Mets ace. Miguel Rojas reached on third baseman Todd Frazier’s error. A sacrifice, single and stolen base put runners at second and third, and Cooper singled for his first RBIs of the year.
The Marlins added two more runs in the fourth on RBI singles by Alfaro and Rojas. Alfaro’s two-run homer off deGrom in the fifth made it 7-1.
“To hit a homer against a really, really good pitcher,” Alfaro said, “it feels good.”
The Marlins ended a streak of seven consecutive losses to New York. Their 11 victories this year, fewest in the majors, include three wins against former Cy Young winners - deGrom, Max Scherzer and Corey Kluber.
HE’S SORRY
The Mets’ Robinson Cano jogged to first when he grounded into an inning-ending 1-6-3 double play in the seventh. He told Callaway he thought there were two out.
“The board said two outs,” Callaway said. “He understands that no matter what the board says, you have to know how many outs there are. He came up to me proactively and apologized.”
PROMOTED
New York right fielder Carlos Gómez, called up before the game from Triple-A Syracuse, went 0 for 3. The two-time All-Star last played for the Mets when he was a rookie in 2007.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Mets: LF Jeff McNeil (abdomen) was held out of the starting lineup but struck out as a pinch-hitter in the eighth. … LF Yoenis Cespedes (left and right heel surgeries) took batting practice and has started running.
Marlins: SS Rojas (back spasms) returned to the lineup.
UP NEXT
Mets: LHP Steven Matz (forearm irritation) is scheduled to pitch Saturday for the first time since May 3. He’s 3-2 with a 3.86 ERA and beat Miami on April 1.
Marlins: RHP Pablo Lopez (2-5, 5.93) gave up a career-high 10 runs in his most recent outing, which came against the Mets on May 10. He lasted only three innings.
___
Follow Steven Wine on Twitter: http://twitter.com/Steve_Wine
___
More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports
Please read our comment policy before commenting.