Zack Wheeler pitched into the eighth inning and the Mets put up a crooked number on the scoreboard in two different innings, leading the Mets to a 7-4 victory over the Nationals Saturday afternoon.
Wheeler was great for seven innings but got hit for three runs in the eighth. So, his final line doesn’t show how good he was for the majority of the game.
The Mets played small ball in the second inning but broke out the long ball as part of a four-run fifth inning. Michael Conforto hit a three-run blast to right field. And he just missed a homer earlier in the game, too. Hopefully this is the start of a hot streak for him.
Jeurys Familia pitched a clean ninth for his 17th save of the season.
first winning week since ?
The three runs in the second inning were a thing of beauty. The first scored on a bases loaded single by Rosario, and as soon as he got to first, Amaro was waiting for him and immediately was in his ear. Amaro is easily the best coach on the team; he should be third base coach but he teaches the youngsters so much at first base. The reason Amaro was in Rosario’s ear was obvious: It was a 1-0 count and Rosario was happy to just reach out at a 1-0 pitch and roll it through the infield. He was lucky it’s wasnt a 4-6-3. You don’t offer at those types of 1-0 pitches.
The second scored on Wheeler’s long fly ball to deep left center, right after Wheeler foul tipped a very nasty curve on 1-2. Again, Rosario was continuously yelled to by Amaro to retreat and tag up on first as the other two base runners were tagging and Harper had a beat on it but was in deep left center and going towards the left field line. Rosario ran back to tag up and was able to advance to second as the throw from Harper went to third base to get Reyes and not to a cut-off man.
The third run was on a ground out to first by Nimmo, with the pitcher covering. I’m smelling a fourth run as Rosario is now at third base and Rendon was playing way off the line in a shift on Cabrera – basically the shortstop position – and I know Cabrera can drop a bunt down the line and stroll to first, but, he doesn’t even try and grounds out into the shift on a 3-2 pitch.
The next thing of beauty for me happened in the eighth inning. With Blevins warming up to start the frame, Adam Eaton gets a base hit. The next guy Soto is a lefty, but Callaway doesn’t flinch. Soto singles down the left field line. The next man in this 7-1 game is Rendon with men on the corners. He gets Rendon to hit a sharp DP ball right at Reyes who fields it cleanly, and takes three steps and a double pump before throwing to second, completely losing the double play. While Cohen literally groans, “Come on, how can you not turn that”, Harper is striding to the plate and Callaway is already going to the mound with Wheeler at 102 pitches. As Blevins is walking toward the gate and peering in for his sign to enter, Callaway talks to Wheeler and turns to walk back to the dugout with a huge ovation from the fans. Wheeler strikes out Harper, but the next hitter Matt Adams makes the missed DP stand-up by hitting a hanging curve over the fence after Wheeler just missed a 97mph pitch on the low outside corner.
Callaway is doing a great job on the starters and building them up. Now, if he had the same success with the relievers. Execution and grit is what the Mets have been missing for a long time, but it appears they are being dragged there by the coaching staff and manager.
If we looked at the schedule in March, this would have been the game to circle on our calendar. Zack Wheeler throwing a very professional game, tired but getting Rendon and Harper out on whatever was left.
With the bullpen what it is, a tired Wheeler is better than Swarzak-Blevins. Can you imagine the ride home for those guys thinking what has this come to?
For Brian early this spring you speculated how many games do the Mets need to win from Washington to capture the east pennant Mets dominate Atlanta and Philadelphia and it’s on to the playoffs. Forget it all: Washington is below .500. Who would have thought!
I was really fearful Callaway was going to lift Wheeler and bring in Swarzak. That had catastrophe written all over it. I have to hand it to Wheeler: no more 100 pitches, 4 inning starts. Never thought I would see it. He actually was overpowering.
I want to keep this staff together. The starters seem to like pitching here too. If I were Wheeler or Matz I would complain of “soreness” after my next start!
Don’t be fooled by Wheeler’s final line he was tremendous today especially the first five innings when he was dominating everyone but Adam Eaton. Wheeler ran into some trouble in the sixth but got the double play which limited the damage. Wheeler had everything going as he was throwing up to 99 mph late in the game and his curve, fastball and splitter were all filthy, and really if not for rock head of the century in Reyes botching a double play by looking how up by six runs, what a stupid fuck he is. The Mets really need to have their heads examined if they move Wheeler as he’s breaking out and becoming a top of the rotation pitcher. I mean who would make Matz unavailable and Wheeler likely to go? No other front office except for the front office with Omar Minaya in it would think Matz is better than Wheeler and that Wheeler should be the one to go.
Great to see the Mets beat up on Vouth, who looked like a pitcher who hadn’t pitched in a while and another big game for Cabby. Great to see Conforto hit a big homer and I hold out hope that he’ll have a big second half. Who would expect the Mets to score seven runs on a day where Nimmo goes 0-5? Oh and some bad managing by Dave Martinez keeping his struggling rookie in there to face Conforto and then a few other after the homer. Another good game for Plawecki, who is showing you real good signs and has a wRC+ over 110.
All in all fun to beat the Nats and continue there misery the only bad thing was Reyes’ stupidity.
Way too many negatives on Reyes and no solution in sight. By stubbornly ignoring the obvious, we see how Jose is keeping the youngsters from developing fully. Cut ties now as there is no better time to introduce a new strategy to gain momentum and prepare for the future. And no, I do not feel the need for new owners as a remedy. Let a GM with vision do the unthinkable, purge the non producers and plan to become competitive again.
Cespedes and bruce ? no farm system ? let jose finish the year . 150 mil contracts with uneven results ?
That you Jeff Wilpon?
there is no instant solution to where they are . right Hals waterboy ?!!!
I disagree b.
The Yankees, Dodgers, Nationals, Cardinals, Red Sox have fixed their farm system through good drafting, signings, and tutoring while constantly trading away talent and have kept right on winning. Let’s take the Jay Bruce blunder of Alderson out of the equation, and as I often say, stop crying for the The Coupons’ pockets.
Daniel Murphy can be a cheaper solution for first base due to the knee operation. He’s getting stronger, but certainly teams will balk and he’s worth 3/$50. Whit Merrifield can be an acceptable second base option if there aren’t internal options. All other positions are set. It’s the bullpen that will need the magic dust.