NEW YORK -- The Miami Marlins lost star pitcher Jose Fernandez to a serious elbow injury five weeks into the season and star slugger Giancarlo Stanton with 2 1/2 weeks to go. Authentic Jaylen Brown Jersey . Yet by beating the New York Mets 4-3 Wednesday night, they improved to 74-77 with 11 games remaining and have given themselves chance to avoid a sixth straight losing season. "This team is obviously headed in the right direction under our baseball department and Mike Redmond," team president David Samson said. "Thats all any team can hope for, is to be getting better. And this was clearly a step up this year." Henderson Alvarez (11-6) ended a three-start winless streak, allowing two runs and eight hits in six innings. Steve Cishek pitched his second perfect ninth of the series for his 37th save in 41 chances. "That would be huge for us, no doubt, to get to .500," said Redmond, the Marlins second-year manager. Miami completed a trying 5-5 trip. Before the game, the team said Stantons season was over. The NL home run leader was hit in the face by a fastball from Milwaukees Mike Fiers last Thursday and sustained facial fractures, concussion symptoms, dental damage, cuts that required stitches and two black eyes. "An emotional trip for us, losing G and all that we went through," Redmond said. "Guys are beat up. Theyre banged up. Theyre emotionally on tilt." But the Marlins took two of three from the Mets with small ball: 30 of their 35 hits in the series were singles. "We need to finish the season strong," second baseman Donovan Solano said. "The last two seasons were not good for us. We know now how we need to win games. So I think that weve done a good job." Wearing their bright orange alternate jerseys, the Marlins built a 3-0 lead in the first two innings against Dillon Gee (7-8) and held on to open a two-game lead over the Mets for third place in the NL East. Gee gave up four runs and seven hits in 6 2-3 innings. He entered with a scoreless streak of 16 1-3 innings against the Marlins but threw a run-scoring wild pitch in the first and allowed Garrett Jones run-scoring hit on a squib that went 30 feet toward third base. Solanos RBI single made it 3-0 in the second. Gee stroked a single into centre in the fifth, prompting teammates to wave towels and stand and applaud in the dugout. He had been 0 for 35 this year and was hitless in 41 at-bats since singling off Miamis Tom Koehler on Sept. 15 last year, Lucas Duda hit a two-run single, just the sixth hit for the Mets in 63 at-bats this year with the bases loaded and two outs. Wilmer Flores followed with a fly that Marcell Ozuna caught with a leap against the wall in left-centre. Christian Yelich restored a two-run lead with an RBI double off Josh Edgin in the seventh, and Curtis Granderson hit a run-scoring grounder against Chris Hatcher in the eighth. New York (73-80) dropped nine games back for the NLs second wild card with nine games left, on the brink of elimination. The Mets must go 8-1 to avoid a sixth straight losing season, one shy of the franchise record. A more achievable goal would be overtaking the Marlins or perhaps Atlanta (76-76), where the Mets open a three-game series Friday. "It would be a tremendous accomplishment," manager Terry Collins said, "especially where were sitting right now with guys going down right and left around here." WEB GEMS Adeiny Hechavarria ranged deep into the shortstop hotel to get Flores second-inning grounder and while falling made a sidearm throw to second for the forceout on Duda. Right fielder Reed Johnson then grabbed Grandersons bloop on a short hop and threw to second in time to force Flores, who had held up because he was unsure whether the ball would be caught. TRAINERS ROOM Mets CF Juan Lagares will be sidelined for a few days after spraining his right elbow Wednesday. UP NEXT Marlins LHP Brad Hand is to start Thursdays homestand opener against NL East champion Washington, which goes with RHP Doug Fister (14-6). Mets RHP Zack Wheeler (10-10) starts Friday, and the Braves plan to start RHP Julio Teheran (13-12). Authentic John Havlicek Jersey . Toronto has lost six of its last eight games but is coming off Thursdays 7-3 victory at Kansas City. Juan Francisco and Colby Rasmus both went deep for the Blue Jays, who are second in the American League with 34 home runs on the season. Cheap Nike Celtics Jerseys . Both sides came closest to scoring in the first half, when Roma had a goal from Mattia Destro waved off for offside and Inters Rodrigo Palacio headed high. "A draw was a fair result. Neither squad had many chances," Roma midfielder Miralem Pjanic said. http://www.cheapcelticsjerseysauthentic.com/ . Noah finished with 13 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists in 34 minutes. He was headed for his fourth triple-double of the season, but sat down with about three minutes left because of the lopsided score. Kirk Hinrich scored 19 points for Chicago, going 5 for 6 on 3-pointers, Carlos Boozer added 18 points, D.Nine players on three NHL teams have contracted mumps this season, an unexpected outbreak that the league and the players association are trying to contain.Ryan Suter recently joined Minnesota Wild teammates Keith Ballard, Marco Scandella, Jonas Brodin and Christian Folin, Corey Perry, Clayton Stoner and Francois Beauchemin of the Anaheim Ducks and Tanner Glass of the New York Rangers to be diagnosed with the disease.Those infected with mumps can have a fever, headaches, muscle aches, fatigue and loss of appetite, followed by the swelling of salivary glands, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Deputy commissioner Bill Daly said the league has been in contact with team doctors and training staffs about best practices to prevent the spread of mumps, which has caught everyone off guard.It is certainly an outbreak that was unexpected and has caused unwanted disruption at the team level, but it is not something we have any significant control over, Daly said. As long as our clubs are doing what they need to do to minimize risk of contraction, we are hopeful that the wave of cases will run their course and life will return to normal in the relatively near term.Nine out of some 600 players getting the mumps is not a full-fledged epidemic, but the lack of familiarity about mumps has made it a talking point around the league. As Wild star Zach Parise joked to the Star-Tribute in Minneapolis: What is this, the Oregon Trail? Where are we right now? Every team seems to get the flu once a year, but the mumps?When Perry and Beauchemin were ill and eventually tests showed they had mumps, the NHL/NHLPA joint health and safety committee began working with teams to prevent further spread.The NHLPA has been actively educating the players regarding the recent outbreak, while providing best practices on how to avoid contracting and spreading mumps, spokesman Jonathan Weatherdon said.The mumps virus is spread through saliva or mucus, usually from coughing, sneezing or talking, according to the CDC. Sharing drinks and utensils can also contribute to spreading the infection.Its something were aware of, Vancouver Canucks NHLPA representative Kevin Bieksa said. The PAs addressed it, weve sent out a couple emails with some of the symptoms and some of the warning signs. Most of us haave been vaccinated, so were doing whatever we can to prevent it. Authentic Larry Bird Jersey. The Canucks arent the only ones taking precautions. Rangers coach Alain Vigneault told reporters that his team would be getting booster shots after they found out Glass had the mumps.According to the Winnipeg Free Press, the Jets have told their players not to share water bottles or towels and have been disinfecting dressing rooms when on the road.The first mumps vaccine was licensed in the United States in 1967, according to the CDC. The measles-mumps-rubella vaccine began to be administered in Canada in the early 1970s, according to the Public Health Agency of Canada.Originally, one dose of the MMR vaccine was administered to a child aged between 12 and 15 months. In 1989, several health agencies recommended the vaccine be increased to two doses, the second given between ages 4 and 6.The CDC says two doses of the vaccine are 88 per cent effective at preventing mumps, while one dose is 78 per cent effective.Theres no one common theme to the spread of mumps in the NHL, as the nine players range in age from 21 to 34 and are of three different nationalities. Suter (born in 1985) and Ballard (1982) are American; Perry (1985), Beauchemin (1980), Stoner (1985), Scandella (1990) and Glass (1983) are Canadian; while Brodin (1993) and Folin (1991) are Swedish.Even though he got vaccinated, Bieksa acknowledged being taken aback by news that mumps is going around.Obviously when theres a little bit of a small epidemic in the league, you kind of get concerned, he said. We played a lot of those teams (like) Anaheim, when they were going through it.Each new case brings more conversation about the mumps virus. Bieksa knew about the cases with the Ducks and Wild but hadnt heard of Glass getting it.Told the league couldnt anticipate this outbreak, Bieksa said: And rightfully so. Who would expect us to have the mumps?---A look at the NHL players who have contracted mumps and how many games they missed:Keith Ballard, Wild: 8 gamesJonas Brodin, Wild: 7 gamesChristian Folin, Wild: 5 gamesCorey Perry, Ducks: 5 gamesFrancois Beauchemin, Ducks: 5 gamesClayton Stoner, Ducks: 5 games Tanner Glass, Rangers: 3 gamesRyan Suter, Wild: 2 games (Ongoing absence)Marco Scandella, Wild: 2 games---Follow @SWhyno on Twitter Authentic Nike Tampa Bay Buccaneers Jerseys Cheap Authentic Nike Tennessee Titans Jerseys Cheap Authentic Nike Washington Redskins Jerseys Cheap Authentic Nike Arizona Cardinals Jerseys Cheap Authentic Nike Denver Broncos Jerseys Cheap Authentic Nike Green Bay Packers Jerseys Cheap Authentic Nike Los Angeles Chargers Jerseys Cheap Authentic Nike New England Patriots Jerseys Cheap Authentic Nike Oakland Raiders Jerseys Cheap Authentic Nike Seattle Seahawks Jerseys Cheap Authentic Nike Carolina Panthers Jerseys Cheap Authentic Nike Cleveland Browns Jerseys Cheap Cheap Throwback Baseball Arizona Diamondbacks Jerseys Cheap Throwback Baseball Atlanta Braves Jerseys Cheap Throwback Baseball Baltimore Orioles Jerseys Cheap Throwback Baseball Boston Red Sox Jerseys Cheap Throwback Baseball Chicago Cubs Jerseys Cheap Throwback Baseball Chicago White Sox Jerseys Cheap Throwback Baseball Cincinnati Reds Jerseys Cheap Throwback Baseball Cleveland Indians Jerseys ' ' '