WHO WON:
The blue and grey Mets
WHAT HAPPENED, BATS, BLUNDERS, AND WELL-HIT BASEBALLS:
Early on there wasn’t much offensive activity of note. The Mets tried to lead a charge in the second inning with Kelly Johnson and T.J. Rivera on base, however the Mets’ old nemesis—hitting with runners in scoring position—decided to rear its head. That being said, things were relatively tame before Yasmany Tomas took Noah Syndergaard deep in the bottom of the fourth. Then came the fifth inning, in which the Mets really started to hit Arizona Diamondbacks starter Braden Shipley around. They recorded five hits, four of which were the extra base variety, and four runs overall. Rivera led off the inning with a single, followed by an Alejandro De Aza double. With no outs and runners at second and third, the baseball gods did allow the Mets to cash in.
This was done initially with a Curtis Granderson sacrifice fly, which was followed by a Syndergaard two-run shot to right field. (Sure Syndergaard is slugging .395 in 50 plate appearances this season. Sure that’s 80 points higher than someone like oh, I don’t know, Jay Bruce as a Met. Sure, Jay Bruce was the Mets big addition at the trade deadline. Sure. Just, sure.) That being said, Bruce was able to help the Mets today on offense. After Jose Reyes tripled on a ball you might say Michael Bourn misplayed in centerfield, Bruce doubled to right and the Mets were able to tack on one more.
Like all baseball games, the sixth inning followed up the fifth. Unlike all baseball games, the Mets also scored lots of runs for a second consecutive inning. The sixth was led off with a Johnson homer, pushing the lead to four runs. Rivera recorded a single for his third hit of the game (he would have four overall), and was able to move up to second on a poorly played ball by Bourn. Another outfield misplay in the following at bat by the Diamondbacks would allow Rivera to score, as well as De Aza to double and wind up on third base. After the Diamondbacks’ infield decided to join the misplay party in the form of miscommunication later in the inning, De Aza became the seventh and final run of the night.
WHAT HAPPENED, NOAH SYNDERGAARD ‘STRUGGLES’ IN SIXTH, BULLPEN HOLDS ON:
For the most part Syndergaard had pitched very well up until the home portion of the sixth. Stuff wise, Thor looked great. His fastball averaged 99 mph all night, touching 101 mph at one point. As for the sixth, you ask? Well, he also didn’t pitch bad in the home portion of the sixth. An error by Rivera on a Jake Lamb grounder led off the inning, though it could probably have been considered more on an infield hit. Syndergaard would later surrender a single to Wellington Castillo on a liner to centerfield, putting runners at the corners for Mitch Haniger. Haniger then found the right center gap, earning a triple on a ball that caromed off the fence and De Aza overran—scoring two.
As good as Rivera was at the plate, he was the exact opposite in the field. This time contributing an undoubted error, an errant thrown by Rivera on a Phil Gosselin allowed Haniger to score—bringing the score to 7-4. The very next batter, Jean Segura, managed to find Rivera once again. This time through no fault of Rivera, Segura would be awarded first base after replay showed he beat out an infield single. Sure this came moreso from James Loney’s lack of stretching for plays at first, but this would be the last batter Syndergaard would face—leaving the game after a 27-pitch inning, recording 105 pitches overall. However, the general point remains. Noah Syndergaard was largely the victim of some rather poor defense. Not only did this stretch out his pitch count, but it tagged him with more runs than he should’ve been at fault for—ultimately resulting in a pre-seventh inning departure yet again.
The bullpen managed to hold their own, despite a shaky bottom of the seventh. Hansel Robles surrendered a leadoff double to Paul Goldschmidt, though a misplay by Granderson played a key role. Robles then recorded two outs before a walk to Wellington Castillo brought Addison Reed into the game. Reed then gave up a run scoring double to the recently called-up Haniger, bringing the game within two runs and to a score of 7-5. That would be the last batter to reach base for the Diamondbacks, however, as Reed and Jeurys Familia combined to set down the final seven batters in order.
WHAT HAPPENED, YESTERDAY:
It wasn’t the prettiest win you’ll ever see. That’s for sure. Both sides played a rather sloppy game. I wouldn’t venture so far as to say it looked like the Mets were actively trying to lose the game, but it surely didn’t seem like they were trying all too hard to win it. Winning is hard, baseball is hard. Not every win is pretty. I get it. In the midst of a wildcard race in the dog days of August, maybe the Mets are just content with a win being a win.
WHAT HAPPENS, TODAY:
Today the Mets wrap up their season series with the Arizona Diamondbacks, looking to win the rubber match of their current three-game stand. The Mets have won three of their last four, and a win tonight would be a huge step towards charging back towards the second wildcard spot. Though they have pulled to within three games of the St. Louis Cardinals, it is obviously never too early to make a playoff push.
Photo credit: Mark J. Rebilas – USA Today Sports