The Mets, proving their resilience once again bounced back from Tuesday’s record-setting loss to defeat the Nationals 8-4. Don’t ever count this team out…
The Mets can and will chalk it up to “one of those games” a team plays over a grueling six-month 162 season. The Mets stood by watching as the Washington Nationals poured on seven runs in the final inning to walk-off the Mets by a score of 11-10.
It was the first Mets loss when they led by six or more runs going into the ninth inning in 808 games. Insulting and potentially disastrous.
Some felt the aura of dread when Edwin Diaz (1-7, 5.65 ERA with six blown saves) came on to pitch in the ninth inning, having a chance to hold down the fort with the Mets still ahead by two. Mets fans know what happened next.
Far from being “one of those games,” this one had an import to it, sliding the team a full five games off the pace of the nearest and final Wild Card spot in the postseason.
By all measures, a crushing defeat and one that should automatically set a team back for a week with mental exhaustion.
These Mets Just Turn The Page
Not this version of the New York Mets though. These Mets stormed back to beat the Nationals 8-4 in a game broadcast only on YouTube. The win today forces the Cubs, Phillies, Diamondbacks, and Brewers to follow suit or lose ground to the Mets.
In the all-important loss column, the Mets have three or fewer losses than all of the teams above them until they reach their ultimate target, the Cubs who have four fewer losses than the team in Queens. This includes a narrow one-game margin behind the Phillies and Brewers 67 losses before they play tonight.
The emphasis on losses belongs there because with 22 left to play in the season the Mets cannot win games they’ve already lost. Same with the other teams involved. As with today, avoiding a loss means the team can only gain ground and not lose ground.
The Mets go head to head with the Phillies this weekend. Red hot Steven Matz takes the hill for the Mets on Friday for a three-game set. The Diamondback head to Citi Field for a mid-week three-game series. And what do you know? The Mets have everything in their hands they need.
Cano And Alonso Lead The Way
Today, the Mets celebrated the surprise return of Robinson Cano to their lineup. Cano responded in the fourth inning, blasting a two-run home run to the opposite field, scoring Michael Conforto. Cano’s effort gave the Mets a two-run lead they never relinquished.
In the next inning, Pete Alonso added his 45th home run to the margin. The drive to left field leaves Alonso well within reach of the mark for home runs for a rookie set by Aaron Judge (52).
Zack Wheeler picked up the win in a so-so outing in which he needed 101 pitches to get through five innings. Unlike yesterday though, Mickey Callaway’s bullpen responded with Ole Reliable Seth Lugo tossing two scoreless innings, picking up his 20th hold of the season.
The Mets Continue To Display Resilience
There’s no counting this version of the New York Mets out. Even on a day when the 26-game hitting streak by Wilson Ramos ended, Jeff McNeil and J.D. Davis had two hits apiece to pick up the slack. Cano’s three hits gave an additional spark to the team as well.
A less than rabid team fan will say “Hey, whatever happens – happens. It’s been a good season”. But after the team has played 140 games fighting tooth and nail after a disastrous first half – uh uh. The guys in the Mets clubhouse want more, as do the diehard Mets fans who follow the team through thick and thin.
And that’s the way it should be. In so many ways, the Mets season is just beginning. Those six losses to the Braves and Cubs have faded from Pete Alonso’s mind. Leading the team in everything, Alonso only sees the next game on the team’s schedule as an opportunity.
The Mets may or may not make it to the promised land. But don’t ever think about counting them out…
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.
