Luis Severino threw his first shutout in more than six years Saturday afternoon for the New York Mets, who earned their second straight win by beating the visiting Miami Marlins 4-0 in the middle game of a three-game series.

Francisco Lindor and Pete Alonso homered for the Mets, who have outscored the Marlins 11-3 over the past two games while moving within a half-game of the Atlanta Braves in the race for the final wild-card spot in the National League. The Braves are scheduled to play the Los Angeles Angels later Saturday night.

The Marlins have lost eight of 11.

Severino (8-6) gave up four hits and walked one while striking out eight in his second career shutout. He tossed a five-hitter for the New York Yankees against the Houston Astros in a 4-0 win on May 2, 2018.

Just one Marlins player got beyond second base against Severino, who threw 73 pitches in the first seven innings before needing 22 pitches in the eighth inning. Reed Garrett began warming up in the top of the eighth and closer Edwin Diaz milled around the bullpen in the bottom of the inning, but Severino went out for the ninth, when he plunked Jake Burger with his first pitch.

Mets manager Carlos Mendoza visited Severino, who struck out Jesus Sanchez, retired Jonah Bride on a popup to first and whiffed Derek Hill to close out the first nine-inning shutout by a Mets pitcher since Jacob deGrom tossed a three-hitter in a 6-0 win over the Washington Nationals on April 23. 2021.

Severino, whose 113 pitches were the most he's thrown this season, whirled and pumped his fists after striking out Hill before being embraced by catcher Francisco Alvarez.

Lindor homered leading off the game against Max Meyer (3-3) and Alonso went deep in the second. Jesse Winker collected an RBI single in the third and Mark Vientos added a run-scoring double in the fourth.

Lindor and Vientos had two hits apiece.

Burger, Otto Lopez, Nick Fortes and Vidal Brujan had the Marlins' hits.

Meyer allowed the four runs on six hits and three walks while striking out three over four innings.

--Field Level Media