Thanks to heroic efforts from the bullpen and Travis d’Arnaud, the Mets somehow won a game in 16 innings Thursday night/Friday morning in Miami, after not getting in until 3 a.m. from Philadelphia.
d’Arnaud cracked a solo homer in the top of the 16th and Hansel Robles, who shouldn’t have even been in the game, pitched his second shutout inning to pick up the win. All told, Mets relievers went 11.1 scoreless innings.
The Mets tied the game in the 8th inning, when Michael Conforto hit a booming double to drive in d’Arnaud. It looked like the Mets were going to tie the game in the seventh but Yoenis Cespedes was called out at the plate on a replay challenge after originally being called safe. Cespedes didn’t slide on the play, which normally we would chalk up to Yo being Yo, but Neil Walker was just standing there, not giving him any help at all.
The Mets fell behind 4-0 in the first inning. T.J. Rivera failed to handle what could have been a double play. Even if he got just one out on the play, the Mets would have escaped with no runs allowed. Instead Marcell Ozuna came up and delivered a grand slam.
d’Arnaud hit a bases-clearing triple and scored the tying run in the second inning after an RBI single by Curtis Granderson.
The Mets used the long ball to take the lead. Cespedes and Wilmer Flores went deep back-to-back in the third inning and Cespedes tacked on his second homer of the game to make it 7-4 in the top of the fifth.
But Robert Gsellman couldn’t complete the fifth inning. He surrendered two runs in the frame before leaving with two runners on. Josh Edgin came on in relief but brought his gas can with him to the mound. He allowed a double, an intentional walk and a single. Only a runner being thrown out at the plate limited the damage to four runs scored in the inning.
Unsung heroes: Josh Smoker, Rene Rivera, Terry Collins.
Last night Travis d’Arnaud became Travis did’Everything. He brought the Mets back from a four run deficit with a bases clearing triple. He continued to use his legs when he scored from first base on Conforto’s double. Before you scoff at this think, about how many catchers, and Wilmer Flores, would have made the play close at the plate. He ended his four hit morning with the go ahead home run. Travis has a split of 333/438/704/1.141 with 2 homeruns and 9 RBI’s. If this is the rebound season for Travis did’Everything then the Mets are going to be scary good. After 16 innings, I am sure Travis is glad Noah is pitching tonight.
TC understandably tried to get a W for Gsellman by pushing him for just one more out perhaps turned the game into 21 more outs.
Yo is awesome and Flores wishes a left hander could start every day and RHP be banned from MLB.
Robles asked into the game and did a gutsy job. Five in a row and you Noah whose on the mound tonight. Fry the Fish.
And just to complete the picture, d’Arnuad also had a walk in the game.
As for Flores, he’s now 0-10 against RHP this year. Actually, he’s 1-16 against all pitchers not named Wei-Yin Chen.
Flores is real close to breaking out against righties, unless he faces a sidearm-er like Brad Ziegler. When I went home between the 12th and 14th inning, Josh Levin was saying how Flores and Lagares would start for some other teams, seriously.
On the game, hey, the other team wants to win too and we know the Marlins have a very good lineup. Conforto’s hit was super clutch, following a two out walk to TDA with a one hop off the wall double. Kid stays; figure it out Collins. Sandy, trade Granny, Flores and Robles to the Giants – they need all three – for a package of kids.
The bench could be starters on other teams. The depth makes them very dangerous. I can see it wearing down the rest of the league over the long haul.
Alderson, with a leg up from his predecessor, has really put together a nice squad.
And, holy smokes, is that really T. D’Arnaud I’m watching?
Also on the radio, Howie Rose compared Hansel Robles to Heath Bell and how both were erratic in their early Mets days, but had loads of talent… Interesting viewpoint.
TdA you keep providing evidence Ive been too harsh in assessing you.
Wilmer Flores, you show daily why you are bench player keyed to LHP.
Amazing win.
After missing a week’s worth of games while out of the country on vacation (I still listened or followed most on MLB At Bat app), I got my fix watching every inning of this topsy turvy, endless game. I loved seeing deGrom pinch hit and Rivera play first. Imagine what we might have seen had this gone on a few more innings? We had depleted the bench and were on our last relief pitcher. Reminded me of that crazy extra inning game in the 80s when Roger McDowell was playing outfield.
Hopefully Thor can go the distance or close to it tonight because this bullpen is gassed. I wouldn’t be surprised to see a short term move like sending down a pitcher who has options (Smoker, Montero) in favor of a rested arm from Vegas.