Jorge Alfaro hit a tie-breaking single in the bottom of the eighth inning, leading the host Miami Marlins to a 4-2 win over the New York Mets on Thursday afternoon.

Mets shortstop Javier Baez, acquired from the Chicago Cubs last week, went 0-for-5 with five strikeouts, stranding eight runners.

The Mets, who have a slim lead in the National League East, lost three of four games in this series against the last-place Marlins.

Reliever Jeurys Familia (5-2) allowed three runs in the eighth to take the loss as the Mets continued a slump that dropped them to 21-27 in their past 48 games.

Ross Detwiler (2-1) struck out the only two batters he faced to earn the win in relief as Miami beat the Mets for the sixth time in nine games this year.

Rookie Anthony Bender worked around a pair of errors in the ninth to earn his second career save. He allowed one unearned run.

Mets center fielder Albert Almora Jr., who is from Miami, had a game-high three hits and a diving catch to lead New York.

Neither starting pitcher -- lefties from different generations -- picked up a decision despite pitching well.

Miami's Braxton Garrett, working on his 24th birthday, pitched five scoreless innings, stranding eight runners. He struck out six, allowing five hits and four walks.

New York's Rich Hill, 41, pitched five innings and allowed three hits, one walk and one unearned run.

New York loaded the bases with no outs in the first. But Garrett struck out J.D. Davis and Baez -- both swinging -- and got Michael Conforto on a fly ball to center.

Miami opened the scoring with an unearned run in the third. With one out, Miguel Rojas singled to right and advanced to second when Conforto kicked the ball. Rojas then stole third and scored on Jazz Chisholm's sacrifice fly.

Rojas saved a run in the fourth by making a backhand stab in the hole, keeping Almora's smash as an infield hit. Conforto advanced to third on the play, but he was stranded when Hill struck out.

The Mets finally got on the board in the sixth. With two outs and none on, Almora doubled and scored on Villar's bloop single on a 1-2 fastball. But the Mets once again stranded the bases loaded as reliever Paul Campbell came in and got Dominic Smith on a flyout.

Rojas started Miami's eighth-inning rally with a one-out walk on a close 3-2 pitch. Chisholm singled to keep up the pressure. Alfaro's single scored Rojas, who slid around catcher James McCann, who might have had a play had he not lost control of the ball in his mitt. Lewis Brinson then capped the rally with a two-run double.

After errors by Rojas at shortstop and Brian Anderson at third in the ninth, the Mets got a run on pinch-hitter Brandon Drury's infield single. But Almora grounded out with the bases loaded to end the game.

--Field Level Media