The Mets completed a 20-win August with a 3-1 win over the Phillies Monday night. With the victory, the Mets are 13-1 against the Phillies so far this season.

  • Bartolo Colon won his 12th game of the year with eight shutout innings. He now has 16 consecutive scoreless frames.
  • New York hit two more homers, bringing its franchise-best mark for a month to 45, matching its total for June and July combined. Michael Conforto hit a solo shot and Curtis Granderson followed with his team-leading 23rd of the season.
  • Jeurys Familia put the first three runners in the ninth on base but broke Jeff Francoeur‘s bat, resulting in a double-play grounder, which scored a run and ended his scoreless August. He then struck out Andres Blanco for his 36th Save of the season.
  • The game lasted just 2:23, snapping a string of 18 games that exceeded 2:30 in length.
  • With the win, the Mets’ magic number dropped to 27. With the Cardinals leading the Nationals, 3-1, after four innings, it could drop another by the end of the night.

18 comments on “Gut Reaction: Mets 3, Phillies 1 (8/31/15)

  • Metsense

    Colon was cruising at 100 pitches and should have at least started the ninth. It was an opportunity to rest Familia. TC just burns players out.
    On to a more upbeat topic; Michael Conforto and his .860 OPS has been handled perfectly. Sandy’s aquisition of Cespedes took the pressure off the rookie to be a “savior” and he was eased into his role and playing time. One year ago I saw him in the SAL playoffs and thought he was special but I could not have imagined such a metoric rise. We now have a left fielder for at least the next 6 years.
    Another win but more importantly another month ripped off the calender and in first place! It is September and the Mets are playing meaningful games. That alone is an accomplishment after this long drought. LGM

    • Brian Joura

      Yeah, that’s a good point about Conforto. I think all of us are enjoying what he’s giving the team but I don’t know if we’re properly appreciating him coming in and performing like he has.

      It’s a tiny bit like Daniel Murphy in 2008, who came up and put up an .871 OPS in a platoon role in a division race. Hopefully this one ends better!

    • Charlie Hangley

      I would have gotten Addison Reed’s feet wet in the 9th and let Familia get some rest.

      • Julian

        I don’t think he had been “activated” yet.

  • Chris F

    I read in post game that colon was spent, had nothing to offer for 9th.

  • Name

    Of the 19 games he’s started as Met, 11 of the them have come in the 3,4, or 5 spot in the lineup.

    Who is this great hitter you might ask? Kelly frigging Johnson.

    All because our paranoid and brainwashed manager is afraid to put two lefties or two righties back to back in the lineup.

    • jake

      You are whining but we have still been winning

      • DED

        Well, sure! Might as well enjoy the total fan experience, hey?

      • Q

        Name always finds something to whine about. I guess he’s moved on to Kelly Johnson since Colon had a good game.

        • Name

          Yes, there’s always something to whine about because they continue to employ two freaking idiots in Alderson and Collins.

          You Sandy and TC apologists sicken me.

          Oh yea, i forgot. Colons sucks. His fat ass is stinking up the joint. The Phils make quick outs so they don’t have to look at that eye sore.

          Release the fatty

          • Chris F

            I mentioned somewhere yesterday, and its panning out today still: the media is all over SA and TC with real expressions for executive and manager of the year. If the Nats fall off the cliff…expect that drum beat to get louder across the industry.

            • Name

              It’s really a double standard when it comes to managers and execs

              When TC was losing, all we heard was that wins and losses don’t matter because the players played hard for him.

              Now that TC is winning, nothing else matters and you turn a blind eye to everything because, Hey, they are winning.

              You can’t say it’s all about the wins when it’s going well and not about the wins when it’s not going well.

              • Brian Joura

                Exactly

                It amazes me the number of people who seem ready to sign up for more TC. The guy had a 70% disapproval rating this time last year.

                • Charlie Hangley

                  I think it’s because he’s been really keeping it together with the pressure on. I think a lot of people expected him to be sputtering, with smoke coming out his ears during the heat of a pennant race — the ultimate in foreign territory for him.

                  So far, he’s saying all the right things and looking mighty even keel.

                  • Brian Joura

                    When has the pressure been on? If the team has a five-game losing streak in September, then we can talk about pressure.

                    Earlier when they lost seven in a row, I don’t think all was rosy. And then he had the excuse of Wright and TDA being out. If you want to give him credit for the team’s record in August, I’ll (partially) buy that. But performing under pressure? Not yet.

              • TexasGusCC

                My thinking on this is everything Name said, just as he said it and:

                Remember in the Godfather 2, when Michael took over and replaced his brother Tom as consigliore because he wasn’t a “wartime consigliore”? That’s what Alderson needs to do with Collins: Bring in a manager able to lift this team into the next level. We cannot forget five years of pathetic fundamentals that are important in any sport, five years of keeping the younger player suppressed unless forced to play him (see TDA hitting seventh again today while Conforto is fifth, come on), falling in love with by-the-book decisions to avoid being second guessed, and his continuous crying to the press about the state of the roster or the injuries. I found that to be less than leaderly.

                I cannot think of how Collins was able to improve the level of play one iota. We hear how great a clubhouse he ran. Is that equivalent to having a teacher keeping the students in order with certain treats but never really teaching them anything?

  • James Preller

    When a team loses four seasons in a row under any manager, that manager is not going to be popular with the fans. Regardless.

    I look at the team right now, the tone, the preparation, the way they are playing on a consistent basis, the way Collins has used the players and the way the players have responded to those roles, and I think he deserves credit for managing it.

    Look at the Nationals if you want to see a difference.

    I am very happy with the character and sense of purpose they’ve shown.

    Amazingly, Collins seems to have gotten calmer during this past month.

    I don’t agree with his every move, but that’s not actually possible.

    He’s earned an extension.

    It is also fair to ask: Who is the replacement? We are all so eager to bring in Bob Geren or that dope from San Diego?

    The devil I know is not so bad, and I honestly believe the players would be mystified if he was let go. The guy has stepped up.

    • Brian Joura

      Winning cures all. It’s easier to beat the 2015 Phillies than the 2015 Pirates and we’re fattening up on the Phillies. Nothing wrong with that — you can only play the teams on your schedule.

      I just don’t see pounding the Phillies and Rockies (20-1 overall, 12-0 in August) as a sign of character.

      If the Mets play the Dodgers in the NLDS and drop the first two games to Kershaw and Greinke, will Collins provide character, purpose and a steady hand? I’m going to say the jury is still out on that one.

      Edit: changed “NLCS” to “NLDS”

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