Giancarlo Stanton homered twice to match his career high with five RBIs, powering Wei-Yin Chen and the Miami Marlins to a 5-2 victory that snapped the New York Mets' five-game winning streak Tuesday night.
Chen (5-3) tossed seven innings of three-hit ball, spoiling Jose Reyes' return to the Mets in his first major league game since a 59-day domestic violence suspension.
Back with his original team, the speedy switch-hitter received a warm welcome from the crowd of 29,477 at Citi Field but went 0 for 4 with a strikeout in his first big league appearance this season. Batting leadoff after getting called up from the minors, he quickly doffed his helmet to cheering fans — some stood and applauded — when he stepped to the plate in the first inning.
The four-time All-Star shortstop also played a new position, third base, but the ball was never hit his way.
Mets starter Steven Matz (7-4) sailed into the seventh with a 1-0 lead before first-time All-Star Marcell Ozuna hit a leadoff single. Stanton then drove a 1-2 changeup over the left-center fence to put Miami ahead.
The Mets put two runners on in the bottom half, but Stanton prevented them from tying the game when he charged in to make a sliding catch of Juan Lagares' two-out liner to right field.
Christian Yelich was hit by a pitch with two outs in the eighth and Ozuna singled again before Stanton sent a 3-1 fastball from Erik Goeddel into the second deck in left-center for his 17th home run, making it 5-1.
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It was the slugger's 17th career multihomer game and first since June 9, 2015, against Toronto.
After slumping through much of a subpar first half, Stanton has started to break out with five homers and 16 RBIs over his past 17 games. He has six home runs in his last 11 games at Citi Field.
All-Star starter Yoenis Cespedes hit a solo homer in the fourth, his first at-bat after the Mets put his picture on the big video board to inform fans the slugger had been elected to the National League squad. Cespedes tossed his bat aside after connecting on a drive that clanked off the facing of the second deck in left field.
Alejandro De Aza launched his first career pinch-hit homer in the eighth.
Chen struck out five and walked one before giving way to a pair of All-Star relievers. Fernando Rodney gave up De Aza's home run, but A.J. Ramos worked a hitless ninth for his 25th save in 26 chances.
TRAINER'S ROOM
Marlins: 1B Justin Bour went back to Miami for an MRI on his sprained ankle.
Mets: To make roster room for Reyes, the Mets optioned INF Matt Reynolds to Triple-A Las Vegas and transferred 3B David Wright (neck surgery) to the 60-day disabled list.
UP NEXT
Marlins LHP Justin Nicolino (2-4, 5.34 ERA) starts the series finale Wednesday afternoon against RHP Jacob deGrom (4-4, 2.62), who halted a 10-start winless streak last Friday against the Chicago Cubs.
