MLB: Miami Marlins at New York Mets

Game recap August 31: Kelly Johnson saves the day, season, world

WHO WON:

KELLY JOHNSON…and also the Mets

WHAT HAPPENED, BARTOLO DOES HIS THING:

Bartolo Colon was great Wednesday night in such a Bartolo Colon way. The big man didn’t blow it by many hitters, but that isn’t what he does at this stage of his career. Colon came out, gave the Mets seven strong innings of work—allowing only two runs. Sure the Marlins recorded seven hits off of him, but only two were for extra bases. Colon wasn’t exactly helped by his defense early on, as Jose Reyes’ two errors at third played a role in at least one of the runs, but Colon was able to limit the damage of Marlins’ singles and keep the Mets in the game. Colon induced 10 groundouts and generally weaker contact, which helped limit the Marlins’ ability to get any real big innings going. Take Ichiro Suzuki who advanced to second base on an errant pick-off and a sixth inning home run by Christian Yelich out of the game, and Bartolo was able to escape any trouble he got into.

WHAT HAPPENED, KELLY JOHNSON CLEARS HIS THROAT, BASES:

OK, maybe he didn’t do that first one, but he definitely did the second. The Mets had a plethora of hits before the eighth, but the only time they could cash in was a Wilmer Flores two-run homer in the second inning. Then came that fateful eighth inning. Here is a written reenactment:

As the pitching coach leaves the mound, a struggling A.J. Ramos is left to clean up his own mess. Having struggled with control for much of the inning, he is now tasked with escaping a bases loaded, two-out jam. He swiftly falls behind 2-0, but alas that doesn’t stop Johnson from swinging away at a good sinker. Sure it was out of the strike zone, but it had great movement. 2-1. Ramos then follows up his sinker with a breaking ball that lands right over the heart of the plate. A pitch Johnson takes, in an apparently bold defiance of swinging at good pitches. 2-2. Ramos peers in, knowing he can easily get out of this inning. It is so close, he can taste it—and then he throws a pitch up and away. Must’ve been a bad taste. 3-2. Kelly Johnson, like the Mets God we all know he is, sees a breaking ball coming his way. “Not again,” Johnson must’ve thought as he promptly rips the ball down the right-field line. One run scores. Another run scores. Travis d’Arnaud rounds third and heads home. He scores. They say heroes aren’t born, they’re made (I don’t know who ‘they’ is, but just go with it). Kelly Johnson? He was given to us from outer space just in order to clinch a third straight win against the Miami Marlins.

WHAT HAPPENED, YESTERDAY:

The Mets stayed hot, winning their third straight against the Miami Marlins, a team they’re ahead of in the Wild Card race. Bartolo Colon was able to keep them in the game with seven good innings of work, and Kelly Johnson’s timely bases-clearing double was enough to power the Mets to a 5-2 victory.

WHAT HAPPENS, TODAY:

With a successful series against the Miami Marlins wrapping up, the Mets will look to convert game four into a home sweep. It could not have come at a more crucial time, either, as the Mets have been able keep pace in the Wild Card race against a tougher team. The Mets will send Jacob deGrom to the mound to face off against right-hander Jose Urena.

Photo credit: Noah K. Murray – USA Today Sports

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