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          New York Mets

          Series preview: Mets at Marlins

          • Adam Rubin, ESPN Staff WriterApr 27, 2015, 09:45 AM ET
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              Adam Rubin has covered the Mets since 2003. He's a graduate of Mepham High School on Long Island and the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. He joined ESPNNewYork after spending 10 years at the New York Daily News.
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          NEW YORK METS (14-5, first place/NL East) at MIAMI MARLINS (8-11, third place/NL East)

          Monday: RHP Dillon Gee (0-1, 5.60) vs. RHP Jarred Cosart (1-1, 3.63), 7:10 p.m. ET

          Tuesday: RHP Rafael Montero (0-1, 4.15) vs. RHP David Phelps (1-0, 3.55), 7:10 p.m. ET

          Wednesday: RHP Bartolo Colon (4-0, 2.77) vs. RHP Mat Latos (0-3, 7.31), 7:10 p.m. ET

          MARLINS SHORT HOPS

          • Christian Yelich, who had a miserable series against the Mets at Citi Field (2-for-13, 5 Ks), subsequently landed on the disabled list with what has been diagnosed as a mildly bulging disk in his lower back. Yelich dealt with a similar issue last June, which also resulted in a trip to the DL. With Yelich sidelined, Ichiro Suzuki has taken over in left field. First baseman Justin Bour was promoted from Triple-A New Orleans to take the roster spot. Yelich signed a seven-year, $49.5 million contract during spring training.

          • Suzuki scored his 1,968th run in professional baseball on Saturday. That surpassed legendary Sadaharu Oh for the most by a Japanese player. Ichiro scored 658 runs with the Orix Blue Wave in Japan before arriving in Major League Baseball. All of Oh's production came in Japan.

          • Giancarlo Stanton hit only .200 (6-for-30) with two doubles and seven RBIs in his first nine games of the season. In 10 games since then, Stanton is hitting .333 (13-for-39) with 11 runs scored, three doubles, one triple, five homers and 10 RBIs.

          • After a 3-11 start to the season, Miami has won five straight. That included a three-game weekend sweep of the Washington Nationals. The Marlins produced three triples in Sunday's victory, the most by the club in a game in 15 years.

          • Jose Fernandez continues to take steps toward returning from Tommy John surgery this summer. Fernandez is due to face batters Thursday for the first time since the procedure. The Cuban-born Fernandez became a U.S. citizen on Friday. Fernandez, 22, arrived in Tampa in 2008 and was drafted by the Marlins out of high school with the 14th overall pick three years later. That was one slot after the Mets selected Brandon Nimmo in the 2011 draft.

          • Miami remains without Opening Day starter Henderson Alvarez, who is due to throw a bullpen session Wednesday as he works back from a DL stint for shoulder inflammation. Alvarez is expected to be activated in roughly two weeks.

          • Closer Steve Cishek had to wait a while for his first save of the season. It finally came Friday, in a nine-pitch ninth inning against Washington. Waiting until the 17th game of a season for the team's first save matched the franchise record. It also occurred in 2005 and in 2013. Two years ago, Cishek ultimately finished the season with 34 saves.

          • Catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia spent the weekend on paternity leave. Rookie J.T. Realmuto had overtaken Saltalamacchia for the primary catching role anyway. Jhonathan Solano has served as the backup catcher in Saltalamacchia's absence.

          • Dee Gordon has not cooled off since leaving Queens. The leadoff hitter produced four singles on Sunday to lift his average to .390. He has a league-leading 32 hits.

          • Shortstop Adeiny Hechavarria is hitting .460 (23-for-50) since April 13.

          • Center fielder Marcell Ozuna lost a seven-game hitting streak Sunday, but has lifted his average to .288.