MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (Interstat) — Eury Pérez threw 6 1/3 innings of two-hit ball and the Miami Marlins edged the New York Mets 2-1 on Friday at loanDepot Park. Pérez (3-6) struck out five and allowed one earned run, bouncing back from a rough start. Pete Fairbanks worked a scoreless ninth for his sixth save. Sean Manaea (0-1) took the loss, allowing four hits and one earned run over 3 2/3 innings. Jonah Tong tossed three hitless innings in relief for the Mets. Miami scored first in the second inning when Esteury Ruiz came home on Owen Caissie’s groundout. Caissie added an RBI single in the fourth, again scoring Ruiz. The Mets took a 1-0 lead in the first on Juan Soto’s solo home run. Ruiz went 2 for 3, and Caissie drove in both Miami runs. Soto had two hits for New York, which managed only three hits overall. Attendance was 17,095, and the game lasted 2 hours, 20 minutes. The Marlins improved to 23-29, while the Mets dropped to 22-29.

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (Interstat) — Juan Soto gave the New York Mets an early lead with a solo home run, but the Miami Marlins answered with two runs, including a go-ahead RBI single by Owen Caissie in the fourth inning, and held on for a 2-1 victory Friday night at loanDepot Park. Eury Pérez pitched six innings of one-run ball to earn the win, and Pete Fairbanks closed the ninth for his sixth save as Miami improved to 23-29. The Mets fell to 22-29. Soto’s 10th homer of the season, a fly ball to right-center field in the top of the first, put New York ahead 1-0. The Mets managed only two more hits the rest of the night. Miami tied the game in the second inning. Esteury Ruiz led off with a double to center field, advanced to third on a groundout by Caissie and scored on the same play when Caissie’s grounder was misplayed by first baseman Mark Vientos but still recorded the out. Ruiz crossed the plate on the play, and Joe Mack followed with a single before the inning ended. The Marlins took the lead for good in the fourth. Ruiz again sparked the rally, this time with a one-out triple to right field. Caissie followed with a single to center field, scoring Ruiz for a 2-1 advantage. Sean Manaea took the loss in his first decision of the season, working 5 2/3 innings. He allowed two runs on five hits, struck out four and walked one. Pérez scattered three hits over six frames, striking out six and walking none. New York’s best chance to tie the game came in the eighth inning. After two strikeouts to start the frame, A.J. Ewing singled to right field. He was then caught stealing second base by catcher Joe Mack and second baseman Xavier Edwards to end the threat. The Mets also squandered a scoring opportunity in the fourth. After Soto singled, Vientos grounded into a double play, erasing the runner. New York had only two baserunners after the fourth inning. Miami’s bullpen held firm. Andrew Nardi and Michael Petersen combined for a scoreless seventh and eighth, setting the stage for Fairbanks. He struck out two in a perfect ninth, including MJ Melendez swinging and Nick Morabito swinging, before Carson Benge drew a two-out walk. Bo Bichette then flied out to center field to end the game. Ruiz finished with a double and a triple, scoring both of Miami’s runs. Caissie drove in both runs with a groundout and a single. Jakob Marsee, Javier Sanoja and Xavier Edwards each reached base once for the Marlins. For the Mets, Soto had two hits — the home run and a single — and Ewing had the team’s only other hit. The game was played in 2 hours, 20 minutes before an announced crowd of 17,095. New York had won its previous game Thursday at Washington, 2-1, but dropped to 1-3 on their current road trip. Miami had lost four straight before Friday’s victory, including a 9-3 defeat to Atlanta on Thursday. The teams meet again Saturday at loanDepot Park in the second game of the series. New York will start left-hander David Peterson, while Miami counters with right-hander Edward Cabrera. Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of New York Mets 5, Miami Marlins 4. Interstat’s ELO system had projected New York with a 50.60 percent probability to win. The Mets had been installed as a pregame favorite with a spread of minus 1.5 runs. The total score of 3 went over the over-under line of 8.

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (Interstat) — Two clubs deadlocked at 22-28 open a pivotal National League East series Friday night when the New York Mets visit the Miami Marlins at loanDepot Park. First pitch is set for 7:10 p.m. under cloudy skies with temperatures near 81 degrees. The Mets send right-hander Freddy Peralta (3-3) to the mound. Peralta will look to stabilize a New York rotation that has been inconsistent. The Marlins counter with right-hander Eury Pérez (2-6), who has struggled through the season’s first two months. The pitching matchup features contrasting fortunes. Peralta has shown flashes of dominance but has been prone to allowing crooked numbers. Pérez has been the Marlins’ most unreliable starter, struggling to find command and consistency. Miami will need a strong outing from him to keep pace. Mets player to watch: Reliever David Peterson. Though he has been used out of the bullpen, Peterson earned a win Thursday in the Mets’ 2-1 victory at Washington, tossing 5.0 innings of four-hit, one-run ball with three strikeouts. The left-hander has been sharp in recent outings, posting a 2.45 ERA over his last three appearances. He’s likely to be deployed as a multi-inning option again if needed behind Peralta. Marlins player to watch: Right-hander Tyler Phillips. Phillips has been effective in low-leverage relief, tossing 3.0 scoreless innings Wednesday against Atlanta despite the Marlins’ 9-1 loss. Over his last four appearances, he has allowed just one earned run in 8.2 innings. He could be called upon to bridge the gap to the late innings. Both teams enter the series scuffling. The Mets took Thursday’s finale in Washington, snapping a three-game skid. The Marlins are coming off a 9-1 blowout loss to the Braves and have dropped three of their last four. The Mets are projected as -1.5 favorites, according to Interstat’s game simulator, which forecasts a 5-4 New York win. The over/under is set at 8 runs. New York has won four of its last six against Miami this season. The series continues Saturday with the same two teams at loanDepot Park.