NEW YORK // The New York Mets hoped all the bad news was limited to the walls of the Hospital for Special Surgery. Then a relief pitcher made an awful day even worse.
Marlins reliever Burke Badenhop drove in Mike Stanton with his second career hit, a two-out single in the 11th inning, and Florida rallied for a 2-1 victory.
The game was played in a thick, soupy mist that delayed the start by more than an hour - and provided a perfect accompaniment for the Mets' dismal day.
David Wright had an MRI exam that revealed a stress fracture in his lower back. Top prospect Jenrry Mejia had Tommy John surgery, and starting pitcher Chris Young had shoulder surgery.
Things were going better at the ballpark until the Marlins' Mike Stanton hit a tying homer in the seventh inning against Mets starter Mike Pelfrey. Then things really unravelled once the game went to extra innings.
Badenhop (1-0) came to bat after escaping a two-on, two-out jam in the 10th. Stanton was already on second and Emilio Bonifacio was on first when Badenhop lined a single up the middle off Ryota Igarashi (2-1) for his first hit since June 3, 2008, and his second career RBI.
Leo Nunez pitched the bottom half of the 11th for his 15th save, despite allowing a two-out triple to pitcher Jonathon Niese - pinch-hitting because the Mets were out of batters.
"Uncomfortable, from start to finish. No doubt," Mets manager Terry Collins said of the game. "We had a lot of things in our advantage and we couldn't capitalise on them."
The loss was disheartening. The news about Wright was crushing.
The star third baseman has been bothered by his back since he made a diving tag on Houston's Carlos Lee during a game April 19 at Citi Field. He said it has felt stiff but he'd been able to play through it, until the team forced him to have an MRI exam on Monday.
The scans at the hospital revealed the extent of the injury. "He's not someone who likes to come out of the lineup, much less go on the disabled list," Mets GM Sandy Alderson said. "It's something that David, I think, was surprised about."
Wright is likely to go on the disabled list Tuesday, though Alderson said the normal course of treatment is rest rather than any form of surgery.
"I thought going in it would just be a routine thing," Wright said. "I was preparing for Josh Johnson and the Marlins and coming out of that, my head was spinning."
RESULTS (home team in CAPS):
TAMPA BAY 6 NY Yankees 5
Toronto 4 DETROIT 2
WASHINGTON 4 Pittsburgh 2
ST LOUIS 3 Philadelphia 1
ATLANTA 3 Houston 2
Florida 2 NY METS 1 (11 innings)
CINCINNATI 7 Chicago Cubs 4
BOSTON 8 Baltimore 7
Texas 4 CHICAGO WHITE SOX 0
Cleveland 19 KANSAS CITY 1
COLORADO 7 San Francisco 4
San Diego 8 ARIZONA 4
OAKLAND 5 LA Angels 4 (10 innings)
SEATTLE 5 Minnesota 2
Milwaukee 2 LA DODGERS 1
