The current set of Marlins players has fewer direct connections to the Mets than the previous two analyzed teams, the Braves and the Nationals, so these notes are a little more obscure than the earlier editions. The following is a list of some the Marlins’ most significant Mets connections:

Tom Koehler: Koehler was drafted by the Marlins in the 18th round of the 2008 draft. He is not the only late-round selection that year to make a major league impact, as the Mets’ selection in the same round was Collin McHugh. McHugh, now part of the Astros’ rotation, was dealt by New York to Colorado for Eric Young Jr in 2013.

Adeiny Hechavarria and Derek Dietrich: The Miami shortstop began his career with the Blue Jays, who traded him as part of the package that netted two-time Met Jose Reyes, Mark Buerhle, and Josh Johnson, among others. One of those others is John Buck, former New York backstop. Marlin utility-man Derek Dietrich can also be traced to this trade, as he was later traded for Yunel Escobar, part of the Marlins’ return.

Edinson Volquez: Volquez was sent with former Met and left-handed pitcher Danny Herrera for Josh Hamilton in 2007. Don’t remember Herrera? Well, he threw only eight innings for New York in 2011 and has not thrown a major league pitch since.

Ichiro Suzuki: The longtime Mariner was sent to the Yankees in a July 2012 trade for Danny Farquhar and D.J. Mitchell. Mitchell was signed by the Mets the next season, but like Herrera, his stint was largely unmemorable. He never appeared in a game for the team.

Giancarlo Stanton: In the second round of the 2007 draft, Stanton (who was still going by Mike at that point) was chosen one pick ahead of the Mets’ selection, Scott Moviel. While it probably is not fair to says New York had their pockets picked, the close proximity to their pick may cause Mets fans to ponder “What if?”

Photo credit: Steve Mitchell – USA Today Sports

It was a bit of a shock after Matz’s solid first inning, when the only runner reached on a short infield grounder to David Wright that was initially ruled an out. Back-to-back walks to lead off the second came back to haunt Matz, as the 24-year-old was then peppered by singles from J.T. Realmuto, Adeiny Hechavarria, Dee Gordon, and Christian Yelich. It was a “death by a thousand paper cuts” situation as the Marlins built their lead to 5-0 before Stanton’s climactic clout. At 1 2/3 innings, it was the shortest Mets start not caused by injury or illness since Collin McHugh on September 25, 2012 (Kelly Shoppach was the catcher; yeah, it had been awhile).

Perhaps it shouldn’t be such a surprise to see Matz struggle. After all, for as comfortable as fans felt with him, he still only had nine major-league starts to his name, including the playoffs. None of them were particularly bad starts, and even the best of pitchers come across those every now and then. It also didn’t help that Matz had not pitched in any kind of game in 10 days, so there might have been rust. One bad start is not a problem. As long as Matz bounces back over his next few outings, there should be minimal concerns.

Nonetheless, the long day for the bullpen did not come at an opportune time for the 2-4 Mets. With Jacob deGrom on his way to Florida to be with his wife for their son’s birth, the team had hoped to backdate a potential DL stint for his lat tightness rather than using his paternity leave. Unfortunately, all of Hansel Robles, Antonio Bastardo, Addison Reed, Jeurys Familia, and Jerry Blevins saw time in this game, with Robles and Bastardo surrendering the Marlins’ other three runs. A call-up for a fresh arm like Sean Gilmartin seems to be on the horizon.

The game felt pretty much over in a hurry with the Mets behind 8-0 after three innings. However, Jarred Cosart was not particularly sharp for the Marlins either. Wright led off the fourth with a double and scored on a single by Yoenis Cespedes. Lucas Duda lined a base hit to move Cespedes to third, who crossed home plate on a wild pitch. A third run scored on a fielder’s choice before Cosart escaped.

Further wildness from Cosart in the fifth put runners on first and second with two outs for Duda. If the lefty squared one up from Cosart, he could have made it a two-run game, but alas, Marlins manager Don Mattingly felt so uneasy that he pulled Cosart one out short of qualifying for the win. Chris Narveson entered to strike out Duda and the threat was over. The Marlins increased their lead to 10-3, but the Mets had another chance to get back into it with Alejandro De Aza pinch-hitting with two men on in the bottom of the seventh. Unperturbed, Dustin McGowan fanned him to end the inning, and the Mets never threatened again.

It took an exhausting three hours and forty-five minutes to finish the game, though it certainly felt longer. They do have a matinee in this three-game set; thankfully it is not tomorrow, so they can get some sleep. The Mets and Marlins will play the second game of this series tomorrow night with a marquee pitching matchup: Noah Syndergaard against Jose Fernandez. Grab your popcorn.

Photo Credit: Andrew Gruppuso-USA Today Sports