MIAMI — The Miami Marlins billed this weekend series against the Mets as their World Series. It’s not quite a World Series for the Mets, but it’s almost as important given the implications it carries.

They played like they were eager to pop champagne bottles at the start of the game, with leadoff man Francisco Lindor homering on the second pitch he saw from Sandy Alcantara. The Mets scored twice in the first inning to put the Fish on notice, but then a combination of bad luck, bad pitches and bad fundamentals led to a six-inning rally by the Marlins.

There was no comeback to be found in a 6-2 loss on Friday night at LoanDepot Park.

The Mets (82-78) have two more games to play in the regular season and need help from the Cincinnati Reds in order to reach the postseason.

The bottom of the fifth was ugly. The Marlins (78-82) batted around, knocking right-hander Brandon Sproat out of the game and extending the inning against his replacement, left-hander Gregory Soto. Pete Alonso had two defensive miscues, Augustin Ramirez stole two bases and Connor Norby pinch hit a three-run homer off Soto to cap the inning and put the Fish up by four runs.

The Mets left the field to boos from their own fans in a ballpark thousands of miles from their own.

The errors and miscues continue to be a late-season signature of the team.

Sproat gave up hard contact right from the start of the inning, but he might have had a better chance of getting out of it if Alonso had made a play at first base on leadoff hitter Jakob Marsee, and if Soto had been able to throw out Ramirez at third, but the pitcher didn’t appear to notice the runner going.

Ronny Mauricio was in the game at third base in place of Brett Baty, who was removed in the second inning with right side tightness. The third baseman appeared to call for the ball, but it was too late.

Sproat didn’t show signs of trouble before the fifth, but his command had wavered at times. He hit two batters and walked one, but had given up only a single hit through his first four innings. Then the Marlins took three straight off of him to start the fifth, with Heriberto Hernandez hitting a triple to right with two on and none out, tying the game at 2-2.

With one out, Marsee hit a dribbler to Alonso at first, but he dropped the ball. Second baseman Jeff McNeil was there to back him up and get the out, but had he not made that mistake he could have thrown home to get Hernandez. Ramirez sliced a single to left and the Mets lifted Sproat (0-2).

The rookie was charged with four earned runs on five hits, and struck out two over 4 2/3 innings.

Alcantara effectively quieted the Mets after the first inning. He stranded runners in the second and third, retiring 10 straight at one point, and 15 of 16 from the third inning until the seventh when he issued a leadoff walk to Lindor. After Miami took the lead, he needed only 14 pitches to get the next six outs.

The 2023 NL Cy Young Award winner held the Mets to only six hits and two earned runs in his final start of the 2025 season, walking two and striking out three in a seven-inning gem.

The Mets threatened in the eighth after Alcantara (11-12) left the game, loading the bases on left-hander Cade Gibson. The Fish brought in closer Tyler Phillips, and the Mets sent out Mark Vientos to pinch hit for Mauricio.

He popped up a sweeper that went just beyond the infield dirt, right into the glove of shortstop Otto Lopez for the third out. Phillips retired the side in order for the save (four) in the ninth.

The Mets went 1 for 10 with runners in scoring position, leaving seven on base.

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