WHO WON:
The Mets, who are suddenly good
WHAT HAPPENED, WE’VE GOT CONFORTOOOO, ON A CLOUDY DAY:
Michael Conforto is good again, and this is reason to rejoice. The lefty outfielder drove in four runs on Sunday, made some phenomenal plays on defense, and beat out a groundball to first. These are happy times — no, the best of times. To properly honor his resurgence, a song is in order. I give you ‘My Girl’ by the Temptations, but Michael Conforto.
[We’ve] got sunshine on a cloudy day
When it’s cold outside [we’ve] got the month [before] May
Well I guess you’d say
What can make [us] feel this way?
Mi-chael (Mi-chael, Mi-chael)
Talkin’ ’bout Mi-chael (Mi-chael)
[He’s] got so much [talent, opposing teams] envy [us]
[There’s no] sweeter song than the [crack of his bat]
Well I guess you’d say
What can make [us] feel this way?
Mi-chael (Mi-chael, Mi-chael)
Talkin’ ’bout Mi-chael (Mi-chael ooh)
Hey hey hey
Hey hey hey
Ooh yeah
[We] don’t need no [Yelich], [Harper] or [Lorenzo Cain] (well…yes we do)
[We’ve] got all the riches baby one [fanbase] can claim (oh yes [we] do)
I guess you’d say
What can make [us] feel this way?
Mi-chael (Mi-chael, Mi-chael)
Talkin’ ’bout Mi-chael (Mi-chael)
[We’ve] got sunshine on a cloudy day
With Mi-chael (Mi-chael)
(Talkin’ ’bout Mi-chael Mi-chael) I’ve even got the month of May
With Mi-chael (Mi-chael, woah)
[He’s] all [we] can think (Mi-chael)
(Talkin’ ’bout Mi-chael Mi-chael)
Talkin’ ’bout, talkin’ ’bout Mi-chael (Mi-chael, woah)
WHAT HAPPENED, SETH LUGO (MOSTLY) SLAMS THE DOOR:
Over the past few weeks, Seth Lugo really proven that his July woes are in the rearview mirror. Coming into Sunday, Lugo hadn’t allowed a run since August 21; over that time span, we’ve seen his fastball velocity consistently improve, a pitch which he is upping the usage of. That development really played into Sunday’s action, as the righty threw 13 fastballs over two innings of work, recording a whiff on four of the seven swings he was able to garner.
We know the Statcast darling generates a healthy number of swings-and-misses, but his ability to create them with his heater increases the potency of his curveball. It’s a great sign moving forward, and is certainly an area to watch moving forward. Will Lugo touch 100 mph next season? Probably not. But his move to the bullpen gives him an ability to sit in the upper 90s far more consistently, so it’s not unthinkable to see him sit 97 mph in the near future.
As for his actual performance? Lugo was lights out. He was tasked with a two-inning close, and was able to wrap things up in seven batters. The only blemish? A solo home run to Carlos Santana with one out in the ninth. Though not ideal, it certainly is acceptable when you finish with five strikeouts en route to maintaining the lead that closes out another series win.
WHAT HAPPENED, YESTERDAY:
Michael Conforto reminded us why we can maintain just enough optimism about 2019 to keep going. A healthy outfield featuring Conforto, Brandon Nimmo and Yoenis Cespedes should not be slept on, to say the least. Seth Lugo slammed the door, and Corey Oswalt had…a start. Which, of course, is the typical Corey Oswalt start. In the end, it’s another series win for a team that now…wins all their series? It’s a wild game, this baseball.
WHAT HAPPENS, TODAY:
Barring rain, we hope to see another installment of The Jacob deGrom Show. He’ll be going on an extra day of rest, thanks to the drizzly Sunday afternoon that was the Mets-Phillies finally. I’m sure he’ll be delighted by the trade, though, as the Mets will square off against the Miami Marlins and Jeff Brigham.
Photo credit: Gregory J. Fisher – USA Today Sports