Just when you think you’re out, this team finds a way to pull you back in. The Mets defeated the Chicago Cubs tonight by a score of 6-1, notching their fourth win in a row and bringing them to 29-33 on the season. Monday night was a textbook effort on how the Mets should operate on a daily basis: a strong starting pitching effort, plus a series of home runs and big hits. Everyone in the starting lineup recorded a hit with the exception of Lucas Duda, and Jacob deGrom did a wonderful job keeping the defending champs at bay.
I want to say with full confidence that the Mets are back, but it’s too early to tell. It’s great to see this team finally get healthy and coincidentally, they’re starting to look like the ball club we expected to see on the field this season. The returns of Steven Matz, Seth Lugo, and Yoenis Cespedes have injected life into the Amazins’ and the team (theoretically) looks posed to ride a win-streak back to meaningful baseball. The road in front of them is not easy, as they have 14 more consecutive games against teams that made the playoffs in 2016. However, if this club wants to contend for the Wild Card or even have a remote chance of catching those red hot Washington Nationals, now is the time to get going. Here’s the skinny on last night’s game:
Say It Ain’t Yo
The Mets need Yoenis Cespedes on the field and in the lineup to turn things around. What they don’t need is to rush him out there if he is not 100 percent. The $100 million dollar man added a new entry to his long list of leg injuries Monday after leaving the game in the fifth with a sore left heel. The Mets are 4-0 since activating Ces from the DL and he said he’ll be ready to play today, but we’ll see.
Jay Bruce: NL All-Star?
In the beginning of the season, it seemed like every day Jay Bruce founda way to make appreciate that the Mets didn’t dump him off in exchange for a reliever last winter. A month-long slump changed opinions quickly, but he’s currently riding a hot streak that the team can’t ignore. Bruce fell a triple short of the cycle Monday, including notching his 17th home run of the year along with RBIs 44 and 45. The Texas native currently has a nine-game hitting streak to which he is batting .385 with five home runs and 10 RBIs.
Cabrera’s Stock Drops and Rises
I’m starting to feel genuinely bad for Asdrubal Cabrera. Maybe I shouldn’t since he’s living his childhood dream and making of millions of dollars at the same time, but it seems like no matter what he does, Mets fans are calling for his head after each game. I guess that’s just the nature of having a top phenom prospect waiting in the wings behind you, but still, it’s tough to watch. And it seemed like we were getting more of the same when Cabrera collided with Jose Reyes in the second and dropped a pop up. Cabrera would go on to redeem himself by smacking two solo home runs off John Lackey. Cabrera’s days are likely numbered at short, but in order for the Mets to bounce back, they do need their 31-year-old, stone-legged shortstop to replicate the offensive production he brought to the table last season.
deGromination in Full Force
Kudos to Jacob deGrom. On the heels of two of his worst starts of the year, maybe even of his career, deGrom bounced back with an absolute gem. The de facto Mets ace tossed a complete game, a rare feat for this pitching staff, surrendering only one run on a seventh inning solo home run off the bat of Addison Russell. deGrom was a little wild, walking four, but notched six strikeouts enroute to his fifth victory of the season. Monday night’s effort was the first complete game by a Mets starter at Citi Field since Jon Niese pulled it off back in 2013. Let that sink in for a second. Thanks to deGrom’s effort tonight, the Mets’ starting rotation has an ERA of 0.86 in their last 41.2 innings.
Quick Note From the Draft
While we were all enjoying the Mets knock off the defending champs, the organization selected LHP David Peterson (20th pick) and third baseman Mark Vientos (59th pick) in the MLB Draft.
The Crown
He was deMan tonight. @JdeGrom19 gets the
Back At It Tomorrow
The Mets face the Cubs again today in the second of a three-game set at Citi Field. Zack Wheeler hopes to extend the winning streak to five against Jon Lester.
Photo credit: Adam Hunger – USA Today Sports