Wilson Ramos delivered an opposite field hit with a runner in scoring position in the bottom of the eighth inning to lift the Mets to a 5-4 win over the Marlins Wednesday night.
Jacob deGrom started for the Mets and was his usual terrific self. He threw 104 pitches in seven innings, allowed just one run and struck out 14. He fanned six of the final nine batters he faced and was in complete control. The only run he gave up came on a bloop double and two weak ground outs.
Meanwhile, the offense delivered him four runs. Michael Conforto and Brandon Nimmo each hit homers. Conforto reached base four times and scored three runs.
Justin Wilson came on in the eighth inning and immediately gave up back-to-back two-strike hits. One out later the Marlins had their third hit of the inning and the bases were loaded. Luis Rojas brought on Edwin Diaz for a five-out save but the Marlins had other plans. An infield hit cut the lead to 4-2 and a bases-loaded walk made it 4-3. Diaz fell behind the next batter 2-0 and then seemed to hurt his leg and was removed from the game.
Rojas called for Brad Brach, who a few years ago had 18 Saves with the Orioles but was not a guy the Mets expected to pitch in an ultra-high-leverage situation. Brach just missed with two pitches to complete the walk, which was charged to Diaz. Brach got the final out of the eighth inning but the game was now tied.
Brach closed out the game and his job was made easier thanks to a caught stealing where Jeff McNeil planted his foot in front of the bag and prevented the runner from reaching the base. Originally called safe, Ron Darling immediately said the play was going to be reviewed, as he saw the block before anyone else.
deGrom didn’t get the win but he lowered his ERA to 1.80 and the Mets are 5-1 in his starts this season.
It is a joke giving Brach the win. How many times has this happened to dG over his career? Either the team doesn’t score for him or the BP blows a lead. If he keeps pitching like this they can throw out games won for HoF consideration.
How big was McNeil’s blocking 2B? Jake rolls along heading for a chance at a threepeat with again not likely to have many wins. Reminds me of Seaver many years ago in that when he pitched part of you wanted the hitters to move it along so he could come back out. We picked up the win and the Bull did what he does best.
Smart and veteran hitting by Ramos, just serving a base hit into shallow right field that was good enough to score the go ahead run. Glad to see he wasn’t trying to hit it over the moon and just wanted to make contact.
Speaking of contact, that’s what the Marlins’ first three hitters did in the eighth inning and they fell where the Mets ain’t. You can’t get lucky if you don’t hit the ball.
Kudos to McNeil on nice defensive play. I was wondering after viewing the lineup, are the Mets better with Dom in LF, McNeil at 2B and Cano at DH, or are they better with Dom as the DH, McNeil in LF and Cano at the keystone?
Fortunately for JdG, his 2 previous CYAs grant him the benefit of the doubt in his quest for the 3-peat.
I’ll take the wildly uncharacteristic risk (for me) by asserting he’s still the frontrunner/favorite regardless of others currently with slightly better numbers (and much higher W totals)
The rules for determining which pitcher gets the “win” were set when the game was played differently and have long been outdated.
I do find it interesting when Gary asserts that Lugo would just come in, record 6 outs, and nail down the win. He already has two losses.
Clearly the Met pen is worse without Lugo, primarily because of Familia and Betances. What is yet to be determined is whether the Mets are a better team with Lugo starting. In any event, the Mets are not a good team at this point of the 2020 journey.
Gut Reaction: it is said that baseball is a game of inches but this game was a foot.
deGrom pitched sensationally and with a three run lead and 104 pitches and modern baseball dictates that he should leave the game. If he is cruising and he isn’t laboring and exhausted then maybe he should stay in the game. IMO manage what to see in the game not a pitch count.
That’s a good line – wish I had thought of it and used it in the GR