Mets step up with unlikely 7-4 road trip

The 11-game road trip roaming through four cities is over. But in a series against the division-leading Braves, Philadelphia, Chicago White Sox and Colorado Rockies, New York abruptly came to life.

The 25-39 Mets were mired in another bleak season, with captain David Wright as one of the few bright spots amidst disasters like Ike Davis, Ruben Tejada and Collin Cowgill. But New York surprised everyone, finishing 7-4. Nearly every game was a close affair, with the Mets losing three games by a single run.

So what changed? How did a squad destined to compete with Miami and Milwaukee for the National League basement win a road series at both Atlanta and Philly – a first in team history?

Their new and improved pitching played a major role in the team’s newfound success. Their overall ERA dropped from 4.13 to under 3.97. Starters earned a 3.43 ERA during the road trip, while the bullpen earned a paltry 0.59 ERA.

Skipper Terry Collins appeared to have a tough choice on his hands with six qualified starters when blue-chip prospect Zack Wheeler won his major league debut on June 18. But southpaw Jonathan Niese may be done for the season with a partial rotator cuff tear that forced him out early of a win against Atlanta. Wheeler will continue to join Matt Harvey and Dillon Gee in the Mets rotation, while Shaun Marcum gets to keep his job, for now. Despite having strong stats, Marcum only earned his first win on June 26 against the White Sox.

Wheeler looked dominant, albeit on edge, for his career opener on June 18. He struck out 7, walked 5 and gave up no runs. He plummeted back to earth when he yielded 4 runs against the White Sox on June 25. Scouts have since pointed out how Wheeler changed his arm angle for different pitchers and Marcum’s 1.262 WHIP and 0.321 BABIP make his 5.08 ERA more tolerable.

But as much as the starting rotation gave the Mets a chance to get in the game, the bullpen did a fantastic job preventing damage. Relievers yielded just 2 earned runs during the entire road trip.

A large piece is due to the emergence of closer Bobby Parnell. 2.38 ERA. Tossing his knuckle-curve and fastball, Parnell’s 2.45 ERA is a career low and comes with a WHIP under 1. More of the pen’s success, however, comes from new faces.

GM Sandy Alderson promoted RHP Carlos Torres from Triple-A on June 15. He’s responded by giving up just a single run in 7 innings through five games – coming as a walk-off home run against Philly on June 22 – along with 6 strikeouts and a single walk, good for a 1.29 ERA and 0.571 WHIP.

RHP David Aardsma had two good seasons as Seattle’s closer before requiring Tommy John surgery in 2011. He signed with New York as a free agent on May 15 and has been better than ever. His fastball is a few ticks slower, but his slider is markedly improved. He’s earned a 1.13 ERA and 0.75 WHIP in eight games as a New York Met. That includes allowing just 5 base runners in 3.1 innings of a scoreless ball during this road trip.

New York’s offense has also found some life in the last 11 games. They scored 4.3 runs a game, collecting nearly 9 hits and a home run per game.

Wright has been a terror in June 2013 with a .348 average, 5 home runs and 11 RBIs. During the road trip alone, the captain hit .311 with 3 home runs and 5 RBIs. Those numbers bolster an All-Star caliber season after a weak May.

But the key to the resurgent Mets offense can be found in the outfield. Alderson traded Eric Young Jr. on June 18. He did not play either game of the double-header sweep of Atlanta, but did patrol center field against the Braves in the 5-3 loss the following day. Young comes with a reputation of a questionable bat, good but not great defense and plenty of speed. Wearing blue and orange for eight games, Young has been equally as dangerous at the plate as Wright. Failing to collect a hit in just one of those games, his average sits at .382 after Thursday’s win. Despite stealing just a single base on the road trip, Young’s speed remains a weapon, especially when Colorado closer Rex Brothers could not stop chasing him back to the bag.

The 28-year-old has nailed down the leadoff job, but he’s also been a boon for the outfield defense. Compared to the likes of anemic outfielders Lucas Duda, Cowgill and Kirk Nieuwenhuis, Young has yet to make an error, although statistically his range is below average. His range factor per 9 innings through 43 innings in left field is 1.24, slightly down from his career 1.52 RF/9 but below the 1.86 RF/9 during those four years.

Young’s neighbor, Juan Lagares, is slowly starting to figure out major league hitting; his batting average rose from .189 in early June to .229 after Colorado. However, it was the rookie’s defense that punched his ticket to the majors. Before the final game of the road trip, Lagares’ 3.08 RF/9 was half a point higher than average major league center fielders.

As young and unrefined as Lagares is, right fielder Marlon Byrd is the polar opposite. A 12-year veteran, Byrd has a reputation as a power bat with some speed and solid defense. During these past 11 games, he’s looked solid both in the field and at the plate. His 1.88 range factor is lower than the 2.10 of other right fielders and his 2.24 career average. Byrd, however, had no problem gunning down Michael Cuddyer at second base in the ninth inning to squash a late Colorado rally.

Byrd does have 11 strikeouts and just 2 walks on the road trip, but he also had 12 hits, four multi-hit games and 6 RBIs. His 12th home run of the season put New York ahead of Colorado for good to cap of the 11-game trip.