Willie Randolph did not send a box of cigars to Fredi Gonzalez, or even a singing telegram.
But if the Mets go on to win the National League East, they can thank the Marlins.
Half of Randolph's starting lineup for the Mets is made up of former Marlins -- players New York can afford and Florida can't -- but the Marlins also did their part to help this weekend by beating the Phillies twice, including a 7-6 comeback Sunday.
It doesn't sound like much, but for a Marlins team that had won two games in its past 16, the back-to-back victories against the Phillies felt like a 10-game winning streak, and to come back from a 5-0 hole Sunday made this one feel especially sweet.
''It shows the character of this team,'' Marlins closer Kevin Gregg said. ``Nobody in this room is going to wash away the rest of this season. We are not going to be a rollover team.''
Gregg gave up a run in the ninth and loaded the bases before getting Jimmy Rollins to fly out on a 3-2 fastball. His 3-1 pitch caught the inside corner to keep the score at 7-6.
The Phillies weren't sure of that call -- or of a lot of close pitches in the ninth.
''I don't want to [complain] about it,'' Phillies manager Charlie Manuel said. ``It seems like we'd get some of those. That ain't the first time. What the hell? What are you going to say?''
NO DOUBT ABOUT IT
Gregg had no doubt about the 3-1 pitch.
''It was a strike,'' he said. ``To see the guys battle -- especially the way we have been going -- made winning this one really feel great.''
But as good as it felt in Florida, it must have felt even better in Atlanta, where the Mets completed a sweep of the Braves and stuck a stiff arm in the face of Philadelphia's playoff hunt.
The Phillies swept the Mets earlier this week to close to within two games, and were riding a six-game winning streak when the Marlins beat them 12-6 on Saturday night. It appeared the Phillies were back on track when they jumped out to a 5-0 lead Sunday, knocking out Scott Olsen after just 3 1/3 innings.
Even Phillies starter Adam Eaton hit a home run off Olsen, who gave up five runs and seven hits and needed 83 pitches to record 10 outs. But the home run saved Olsen as the Marlins tied a club record with five homers, including a solo shot from Miguel Cabrera, who had not hit one since Aug. 21.
''It feels like for the past week or so we've been down 5-0 or 6-0 early in almost every game, and to do this is against them right now when they have everything to play for really feels good,'' said Cody Ross, who started in left in place of Josh Willingham, who has a sore back.
Ross, who hit a home run in the eighth inning Saturday, hit two more Sunday -- a two-run shot in the fourth to close within 5-3, and a solo homer in the sixth to make it 5-5.
The Marlins got a lift in the fifth when pitcher Dontrelle Willis led off with a pinch-hit double and scored on an error by first baseman Ryan Howard, who couldn't handle Dan Uggla's grounder.
''I always keep my cleats on just in case, especially with [Willingham] being down,'' said Willis, who has six career pinch-hits. ``I swing at everything. I saw it, and I just hit it. Pinch-hitting is hard, especially for a guy who does it once a year.''
INSURANCE RUNS
The Marlins added two runs in the seventh on back-to-back homers from Hanley Ramirez and Uggla, and then hung on in the ninth.
Gonzalez was glad to end it in the ninth, because he didn't know if catcher Matt Treanor -- who bruised his knee on a collision at the plate when he tried to score in the eighth inning on a bases-loaded grounder by Jeremy Hermida -- could last another inning.
Treanor replaced starter Miguel Olivo, and the Marlins' emergency catcher is Willingham.
''I could have kept going,'' said Treanor, who expects to miss the next couple of days. ``I would have found a way.''
That's exactly what the Marlins did Sunday.
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But if the Mets go on to win the National League East, they can thank the Marlins.
Half of Randolph's starting lineup for the Mets is made up of former Marlins -- players New York can afford and Florida can't -- but the Marlins also did their part to help this weekend by beating the Phillies twice, including a 7-6 comeback Sunday.
It doesn't sound like much, but for a Marlins team that had won two games in its past 16, the back-to-back victories against the Phillies felt like a 10-game winning streak, and to come back from a 5-0 hole Sunday made this one feel especially sweet.
''It shows the character of this team,'' Marlins closer Kevin Gregg said. ``Nobody in this room is going to wash away the rest of this season. We are not going to be a rollover team.''
Gregg gave up a run in the ninth and loaded the bases before getting Jimmy Rollins to fly out on a 3-2 fastball. His 3-1 pitch caught the inside corner to keep the score at 7-6.
The Phillies weren't sure of that call -- or of a lot of close pitches in the ninth.
''I don't want to [complain] about it,'' Phillies manager Charlie Manuel said. ``It seems like we'd get some of those. That ain't the first time. What the hell? What are you going to say?''
NO DOUBT ABOUT IT
Gregg had no doubt about the 3-1 pitch.
''It was a strike,'' he said. ``To see the guys battle -- especially the way we have been going -- made winning this one really feel great.''
But as good as it felt in Florida, it must have felt even better in Atlanta, where the Mets completed a sweep of the Braves and stuck a stiff arm in the face of Philadelphia's playoff hunt.
The Phillies swept the Mets earlier this week to close to within two games, and were riding a six-game winning streak when the Marlins beat them 12-6 on Saturday night. It appeared the Phillies were back on track when they jumped out to a 5-0 lead Sunday, knocking out Scott Olsen after just 3 1/3 innings.
Even Phillies starter Adam Eaton hit a home run off Olsen, who gave up five runs and seven hits and needed 83 pitches to record 10 outs. But the home run saved Olsen as the Marlins tied a club record with five homers, including a solo shot from Miguel Cabrera, who had not hit one since Aug. 21.
''It feels like for the past week or so we've been down 5-0 or 6-0 early in almost every game, and to do this is against them right now when they have everything to play for really feels good,'' said Cody Ross, who started in left in place of Josh Willingham, who has a sore back.
Ross, who hit a home run in the eighth inning Saturday, hit two more Sunday -- a two-run shot in the fourth to close within 5-3, and a solo homer in the sixth to make it 5-5.
The Marlins got a lift in the fifth when pitcher Dontrelle Willis led off with a pinch-hit double and scored on an error by first baseman Ryan Howard, who couldn't handle Dan Uggla's grounder.
''I always keep my cleats on just in case, especially with [Willingham] being down,'' said Willis, who has six career pinch-hits. ``I swing at everything. I saw it, and I just hit it. Pinch-hitting is hard, especially for a guy who does it once a year.''
INSURANCE RUNS
The Marlins added two runs in the seventh on back-to-back homers from Hanley Ramirez and Uggla, and then hung on in the ninth.
Gonzalez was glad to end it in the ninth, because he didn't know if catcher Matt Treanor -- who bruised his knee on a collision at the plate when he tried to score in the eighth inning on a bases-loaded grounder by Jeremy Hermida -- could last another inning.
Treanor replaced starter Miguel Olivo, and the Marlins' emergency catcher is Willingham.
''I could have kept going,'' said Treanor, who expects to miss the next couple of days. ``I would have found a way.''
That's exactly what the Marlins did Sunday.
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