The Mets win yesterday was typical of so many others this season. Any one of several players came through, plus a gutsy move by their manager.
The Mets played another team game yesterday that resulted in a series win over the normally explosive Toronto Blue Jays.
The win lifted the Mets to eight games over .500, with a chance to go ten over later today for the first time since June 25, when they stood at 35-25.
Typically, not all of the Mets contributors to the win show up in the box score. Backup catcher Tomas Nido, for instance, threw out two baserunners, including a throw to third base to nab George Springer, who had led off the inning with a double off Rich Hill.
Dominic Smith made a long run to catch a ball in the left-field corner that would have gone for a double, as the Mets played another errorless game.
Others, like Pete Alonso, made a lot more noise with a game-tying line drive into the seats that took a millisecond to get there.
The home run scored Michael Conforto, who had singled to break an 0-14 drought,
There was the combination of guile and execution when Mets manager Luis Rojas made the call to pinch-hit for Nido, a usual no-no for a manager to remove a catcher.
Jeff O’Neil, the game’s “official” hero, promptly delivered a base hit to bring home J. D. Davis and Jonathan Villar, both of whom contributed two hits to the attack, with the eventual winning runs.
Edwin Diaz slammed the door on the Jays in the ninth, striking out the side to pick up his 21st save of the year.
Mets: Luis Rojas Has No Fear
It’s pretty much a secret, but in case you didn’t realize it, the Mets are 42-8 when they score four or more runs in a game.
The Mets have also scratched their way from a run differential as recent as July 1 of -3 to where it stands today at +12. A modest but noteworthy improvement.
Luis Rojas has been terrific, though not perfect. In Friday night’s win, Rojas elected to remove Tylor Megill after six spotless innings and only 78 pitches, only to turn around yesterday, choosing not to remove Rich Hill, with a similar pitch count after five scoreless innings.
Both moves worked out in the end for the Mets, but it goes to show the slippery slope managers live (or die) on these days.
Mets Can Put The Heat On The Braves
With another game always to play tomorrow, the attention span in baseball is narrow, and the Mets know that better than anyone as the Atlanta Braves arrive at Citi Field for a five-game set beginning later today with a twin-bill.
Following a recent short-lived surge, the Braves have fallen back to third place in the NL East standings, where they have resided for most of the season.
Beset with injuries to key players like Ronald Acuna, Marcell Ozuna, starting ace Mike Soroka, and catcher Travis d’Arnaud, the Braves, unlike the Mets, who suffered a similar fate, have been unable to find replacements to keep them in the pennant race.
Nevertheless, they are the Atlanta Braves, a team that has been a particular thorn in the side of the Mets over the years. (467-389 overall in favor of the Braves)
While the Mets goal is to keep the pressure on the rest of the division, this series has far more significance for Atlanta, a team that is two games under .500, and five behind in the standings, with almost a zero chance of edging in on a Wild Card spot in the playoffs.
The Mets have been very efficient at Citi Field (30-15), winning two of every three.
Marcus Stroman, coming off his best effort of the season, will start the first game today (5:10 pm ET), while Rojas and pitching coach Jeremy Heffner are still looking for someone to pitch the second game.
Mets: Contributions From Everywhere
The Mets are playing good baseball, and when you begin to see contributions coming from everywhere as they did yesterday, you can relax a bit more in knowing this is a Mets team capable of going the distance.
Acquisitions at the trade deadline will help, but they are not critical because the Mets are doing just fine with the team they fielded against the Blue Jays…
Here’s What Readers Are Saying…
Deborah Crane I like to call them scrappy with a dash of luck! LETS GO METS
John Jet That’s why this could be turning into a special season.
Closing Published Comments And Final Thoughts
Lots and lots of “likes”, but few comments, so we’ll close them off.
Like myself, Mets fans are becoming increasingly enamored with this team. And who knows – something great might be just around the corner.
Baseball, it is said, is only a game. True. And the Grand Canyon is only a hole in Arizona. Not all holes, or games, are created equal.
