The Mets defeated the Marlins 5-2 in Miami tonight, taking the rubber game of the series.

  • Seth Lugo got the start in this one, and he was very Lugo-like again. He gave up two runs on five hits with three walks and two strikeouts. He worked in and out of trouble all night, living up to his .163 BA against with RISP heading into the game. In the heat of the Wild Card race, Terry Collins was aggressive in getting him out of the game early. He pitched 5.1 innings on 82 pitches, with his only real mistake being a two-run homer in the first inning.
  • The Mets leveraged the long ball for most of their scoring tonight. James Loney, who replaced the sore Lucas Duda in the lineup, hit a two-run homer in the second to tie it up at two. Jay Bruce matched that feat with a two-run homer of his own in the fifth inning, his second in as many nights.
  • Curtis Granderson had himself a night, going 4-4 with four singles and a walk. He’s now reached base in eight straight at bats. Having he and Bruce (and possibly Duda) hot down the stretch and (hopefully) into the playoffs would be a huge plus.
  • The Mets bullpen continues to shine of late, with Hansel Robles, Fernando Salas, Addison Reed, and Jeurys Familia tossing 3.2 innings of scoreless ball. Familia secured his 50th save of the season, putting him in an exclusive club.
  • After the off day tomorrow, the Mets will start their final series of the regular season in Philadelphia with the Giants and Cardinals still breathing down their necks in the Wild Card race.

9 comments on “Gut Reaction: Mets 5, Marlins 2 (9/28/16)

  • Name

    Cards lost 2-1 so Mets have basically clinched.

    The Cards would need to go 4-0 and the Mets 0-3 for the Mets to miss

    • TexasGusCC

      Not quite yet Name. The Mets have 85 wins and the Cardinals have 82. Two wins in Philadelphia seal the deal; one win makes the Cards have to sweep. Giants, with 83 wins, losing in the fifth inning. If that holds up, the Giants magic number becomes 1 on the first wildcard.

  • TexasGusCC

    Saw the Cardinals lowlights tonight. If they were the Mets, we would be crucifying them! They had second and third with one out twice in the last four innings, and didn’t score. Later, bottom of the ninth down 2-1, pinch hitter Kolton Wong leads off with a drive off the very top of the right field wall for a triple. The next three guys: ground out to third; shallow fly to left; ground out to third. They can’t get him in! Come on guys, lose at least one more…

  • Metsense

    Another series win ! One more series win clinches it no matter what the other teams do.
    Lugo persevered and won another start. He bends but doesn’t break. He has a 2.67 ERA and a 4.33 FIP ! It is like having a Ferarri body with a Kia engine under the hood.
    Granderson and Bruce with strong games again. A great September for Grandy.
    TJ Rivera in 97 AB’s 340/352/495/847 replacing an injured Flores who was replacing an injured Walker. There is a player who seized his opportunity.
    Lets Go Mets !

    • Jimmy P

      It’s fantastic what Rivera has achieved. Very happy for him, very fortunate for the Mets.

      I’m undecided about what I’m seeing.

      September stats can be wildly misleading, and he’s faced a lot of bad pitching. Call it the den Dekker Effect.

      Cautionary note: 3 walks in 105 PA. With his speed/power limitations, I think he needs to hit .310 to be an effective Major Leaguer. Not many guys can do that. I wonder if he can possibly become a Martin Prado type, though I don’t think TJ is as good.

      In the same way, every time Seth Lugo gets out of an inning, I’m a little bit surprised.

      I know it was a difficult, challenging time to be in Miami, but I think the Mets players will look back and feel grateful they could be present on such an emotional, meaningful occasion.

      Question: I assume that the roster for the WC Game is different from the roster for the NLDS. Is that correct? Does that allow the Mets to bring one less pitcher? Two less pitchers? I guess I should look at how teams have handled that in the past.

      • MattyMets

        Jimmy P – I’ve been trying to confirm this as well, as there was talk of a rule change. If you only need to set a roster for one game then it would make sense to stock up on relievers and pinch hitters in lieu of the need for four or five starting pitchers.

        The rule should be that except for injury replacement there is one set post season roster but I know that’s not the case from NLDS to penant series to WS. Not 100% Certain about wild card roster rule but I’ll find out for sure as my post for tomorrow will be all about post season roster options.

  • Jimmy P

    You get up every morning from your alarm clock’s warning, take the 8:15 into the city . . .

    • IDRAFT

      Boy, that hasn’t aged well. If you aren’t on the 6:12 these days you are considered a slacker. The 8:15 is for the trip home.

      “Productivity”

  • NormE

    Given all the injuries to the original starting position players and the near decimation of the starting rotation, this has to be considered a successful year
    no matter what happens this fall.
    Just go with the flow!

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