Major League Baseball

Marlins 4, Mets 2

Published Mar. 16, 2013 10:53 p.m. ET

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While another New York Mets third baseman got hurt, the Miami Marlins got theirs back on the field.

Placido Polanco was 2 for 3 with a double in his return from an oblique strain that had sidelined him since March 1, and the Marlins beat the Mets 4-2 Saturday as Justin Turner became the latest injured New York player.

Turner, the leading candidate to replace injured third baseman David Wright, sprained his right ankle in the fourth inning while attempting a throw after fielding a ball hit by Justin Ruggiano. Turner went to the hospital to take precautionary X-rays.

''I think just getting up, going to make the throw, I caught my front spike on the lip of the grass, and then in order to try to catch my balance, all my weight went on my right foot, and I turned it over,'' Turner said. ''I don't think it's too bad though. I was able to walk off on my own, and it's not too swollen. So, hopefully, as long as it doesn't blow up overnight and get too bad, it will just be a couple days.''

Wright has a left intercostal muscle strain and is expected to rest for up to four days before he is reevaluated. Mets manager Terry Collins said Zach Lutz, the lone remaining third baseman on the 40-man roster, will start against the Atlanta Braves on Sunday.

''I don't think Justin's very serious, the way that is sounded,'' Collins said. ''It is what it is. You can't get discouraged. You can't get down. You have to get yourself ready for the next day.''

Turner's ankle is the latest injury for the Mets. Ace Johan Santana has not yet made his spring training debut as he works to build strength in his left shoulder. Second baseman Daniel Murphy also has missed the first the first three weeks of exhibition games due to a strained intercostal muscle sustained in mid-February, and closer Frank Francisco working back from offseason elbow surgery.

''If you let it get you down, all the sudden it spreads to the players. They get frustrated,'' Collins said. ''Hey look, it's spring training.''

Polanco wasn't the only player returning to the Marlins on Saturday. Starter Henderson Alvarez, who pitched for Venezuela at the World Baseball Classic, gave up one run and three hits in 3 2-3 innings.

''It felt good pitching for the first time since the Classic,'' Alvarez said. ''I felt good, I felt strong, the fastball was sharp.''

Kevin Slowey, who is competing for a rotation spot for Miami, allowed one run and two hits in 4 1-3 innings while striking out four.

Chris Coghlan was 2 for 4, including a RBI triple in the fourth off Mets starter Shaun Marcum, who allowed two runs and five hits in four innings.

Marlins prospect Christian Yelich added an opposite-field home run to left in the eighth against Jeurys Familia.

NOTES: Marlins manager Mike Redmond gave Giancarlo Stanton and Steve Cishek the day off Saturday. Stanton and Cishek played for the U.S., eliminated from the WBC on Friday night. ... Murphy was scheduled to appear in a minor league game Saturday but was scratched due to stiffness. Mets GM Sandy Alderson said it was fatigue and not a setback. ... Francisco threw 31 pitches in a bullpen session. ... Marlins INF Greg Dobbs (calf) played in a minor league game. ... An elderly woman who fell down some stairs at Tradition Field was taken to a hospital by helicopter, which landed on the infield of a practice diamond next to the ballpark.

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