Recap: Florida vs. NY Mets

By Sports Network

Miami, FL (Sports Network) - Carlos Beltran clubbed a grand slam with two outs in the top of the ninth inning and the New York Mets held on to defeat the Florida Marlins, 5-4, in the opener of a three-game series at Dolphin Stadium.

Beltran added a sacrifice fly for the Mets, who improved to 13-4 in their last 17 contests. Luis Castillo and David Wright both finished 2-for-5 and scored a run.

The Mets own a two-game lead over Philadelphia for first place in the NL East after the Phillies lost to the Cubs earlier Friday.

Oliver Perez gave up two runs -- one earned -- on three hits over six innings, but did not factor into the decision. The left-hander also walked five and struck out four. Joe Smith (2-3) collected the win after tossing a scoreless eighth.

Jorge Cantu had two hits, including a double, and drove in two runs for Florida, which has dropped three of its last four games. Hanley Ramirez was 2- for-3 with two walks and a run scored, and Josh Willingham added a solo homer.

The loss dropped the Marlins seven games behind the Mets in the NL East standings.

Chris Volstad came away with a no-decision, allowing one run on five hits over 6 1/3 innings while striking out five and walking three. Kevin Gregg (6-8) took the loss after he was tagged for four runs in the ninth inning.

Gregg came on in relief for the Marlins in the ninth to try and protect a 2-1 lead. Castillo and Wright had back-to-back singles with two outs and Carlos Delgado was drilled on the right shin to load the bases for Beltran, who pulverized the first pitch he saw from Gregg, depositing the offering into the right-field seats for his eighth career grand slam and a 5-2 Mets lead.

The Marlins refused to go down quietly in their half of the ninth. Luis Ayala retired Dan Uggla on a grounder, then gave up a single to Jeremy Hermida, who took second on a two-out base hit by Ramirez and scored on run-scoring single by pinch-hitter Mike Jacobs. Cantu made it a one-run game with an RBI double, but Ayala got Wes Helms to ground out to short to end the game and notch his third save of the season.

For the 17th time in their last 21 games, the Mets scored a run in the first inning. Jose Reyes led off with a single, stole second and advanced to third on a Castillo bunt single. One out later, Delgado walked to the load the bases for Beltran, who hit a sacrifice fly to give the visitors an early 1-0 edge.

Willingham's lead-off home run in the second evened the score, and the Marlins struck again in the third. Volstad reached first on Reyes' fielding error and Ramirez worked a walk. After Paul Lo Duca bunted into a force out, Volstad raced home on Cantu's sac fly.

With one gone in the seventh, Brian Schneider beat out a hit to deep short, snapping a string of 11 retired in a row by Volstad. The 21-year-old then walked pinch-hitter Damion Easley and was lifted for Joe Nelson, who promptly issued a walk to Reyes to load the bases. Nelson, though, induced a groundout from Castillo and fanned Wright to escape the jam and preserve Florida's 2-1 lead.

The Mets had runners on the corners with two away in the eighth, but pinch- hitter Endy Chavez bounced out to the pitcher to end the threat.