The Mets get a rare walkoff win and end up splitting their four-game series with the Cardinals, 3-2, Thursday afternoon in Citi Field.
- A two-out single by T.J. Rivera put runners on the corners and brought Jose Reyes to the plate. The Cardinals had an odd defensive alignment, with the third baseman pinching in and the first baseman playing deep. While Gary Cohen speculated about Reyes laying down a bunt, he instead hit a rocket that the first baseman made a nice play on. But the pitcher was late covering first base and Reyes got to the bag without a throw even being made for the game-winning hit.
- Wilmer Flores, who has been a forgotten man here lately, did what he does best. He came off the bench with a lefty reliever in the game and delivered a homer to tie the game at 2-2 in the bottom of the eighth. Earlier, the Mets got on the board first with a homer to right center by Lucas Duda. And Duda also had a good game in the field, saving a couple of errors on poor throws by Rivera.
- Seth Lugo turned in another good outing, as he allowed just one run over 6.2 innings. Erik Goeddel got out of a two-on jam in the seventh but allowed a go-ahead homer in the eighth. Addison Reed retired all three batters he faced in the ninth and picked up the win, one day after getting a four-out save.
Brian, I know you are a supporter and I am his critic but let’s talk about Lucas Duda. If he wasn’t in the game the team would have lost beacuse of his glove work around the bag and his home run. Yet the easy part he failed: infield in, no shift and a runner on 3rd. Swing and a miss on a slider in the dirt.
He’s the most frustrating guy on the team.
Pete, I see a notification from my MLB app: Lucas Duda solo homer. What else is new? King of the solo homer. Whether he presses or just is unlucky, Duda will rarely come through in the clutch. He pads his stats in unclutch situations most of the time. He doesn’t impress me with his scoops because he cant even throw straight. Good riddances.
Seriously, just re-read your comment.
Yes, he was a major factor in our winning the game but let’s find one moment to complain about him.
Let’s turn it around. Let’s say he doesn’t hit the HR and he doesn’t make the two plays in the field but he does hit the sacrifice fly that you seem to cherish so much. Those two defensive plays saved at least two runs and maybe more. Who knows how many they would have scored in the sixth inning and the Mets would have went to the bullpen earlier.
If that had happened, would anyone after the game be applauding Duda for getting the run home with an out? Of course not.
Brian, I didn’t see a single pitch today, but we have seen Duda for over five years. We know him as a player. While I can give him credit for helping win today’s game, I have seen his act for years and that is what I’m referring to. I can remember most of his clutch hits, and that a bad sign.
Understand, as his tenure is probably coming to an end, will you miss his contribution? My opinion is that overall, his contribution was pretty ordinary especially when we start counting solo homers and the score of the game at that time. He will never be “a money player” in my book. Flores has been ten times more clutch than Duda. Much more clutch hits. Much more!
you didn’t like that one ab…. that one ab
Yea. Big moment. Doing what needs to be done at the right moment.
Too critical? Just biased?
Brian-absolutely correct. I admitted that without the big lug, this would have been a loss. But this is Duda’s game. We’ll have found memories of him and maybe seeing him in the Bronx hitting it into the stands.
But the big moment just doesn’t happen. Grade: B-.
Let me see if I got this straight. The big moment came in the fourth inning when they were ahead by a run and Duda didn’t get the runner home from 3B. It didn’t come when he put the team ahead and it didn’t come when he saved the go-ahead runner from scoring. Is that right? Do I have that right? Because typing it out that seems the exact opposite of right.
Things to complain about in this game:
Rivera’s two rotten throws
Goeddel serving up the gopher ball
Cespedes coming up with a runner on base in each AB and going 0-4
The top two hitters in the game going 0-8
It’s beyond petty to complain about Duda in this game.
As I posted a few weeks ago, I’ll miss the big lug. I know he’s an imperfect player and at times he’s maddening to root for (how many times will he look at fastball strike one, them flail at a slider in the dirt to start off 0-2?), but he’s a likable guy and he’s had his moments.
If the Mets have any notion of playing Flores or Rivera at third we better hope Smith can scoop errant throws like a gold glover.
Duda gets far more criticism than he deserves. And yes, he can be frustrating because it always feels like there’s another level to his game that he’s failed to reach. I think it is far from a sure thing that Dominic Smith approaches Duda’s level of performance.
But of course we wouldn’t have a “reaction” post without a comment from Gus complaining about somebody. Baseless or not.
Lugo has impressed me. The health is a real concern, but I like him as a back of the rotation starter. He’s offers up a different mix out there and seems like the right pitcher at the right time, in terms of how the game is played today. Not just (yet) another guy throwing gasoline.
On one hand, it’s mind-boggling to consider this Mets bullpen without Reed and Blevins. But nature abhors a vacuum. With crisis comes opportunity. I’d put Gsellman and Wheeler back there and see how it works. Familia will be back soon. Let’s see if there’s a core for 2018. I don’t think Sandy solves the pen with a shopping spree, though it’s hopeful he can find a live arm or two at the deadline.
On Duda – I think you nailed it. As you say, he just never quite gets to the next level.
Baseless on Duda? While stat lines are nice, I know enough about baseball to realize that when pitchers bare down, it gets harder. Duda is the inventor of Keith’s “canother lutch walk for Duda”, when Duda takes a walk with men in scoring position; it’s not a compliment.
He isn’t a money player. It’s not a complaint, it’s a fact. Further, when you write that he has failed to reach another level, you’re saying the same thing I did! But, you mock me for “complaining”. Hysterical!
That should be “another clutch walk for Duda”.
I hope Smith can match Duda’ s career numbers in the next 6 years. It won’t be easy.
I like Duda and think he had to endure a tough road. First the crazy idea to play him in the outfield, something only this GM would think is a viable idea. I believe that to this day that contributes to some of the perception that he is a bad first baseman, people can’t get those OF images out of their head. Then all the Lucas/Ike death matches the GM orchestrated, when anyone with a pulse could tell that Duda was the better player. Until finally Duda was given the first base job.
Since then Duda has been a solid, if unspectacular player. As he heads into free agency I can see why the Mets would let him walk, and I am not fearful he becomes Murphy 2.0 on another team. But I will double down on Metsense comment.
I don’t get it.
Years ago, as a Little League coach, I always felt the best thing to do with my players was to put them in the best possible position to succeed. Why don’t the Mets follow this simple, yet effective, proposition?
They continue to play TJ at third presumably, so Cabrerra can play second? Total and complete insanity. I have no doubt Rivera would be much better at second than he is at third. (Really, how could he be worse?) Would he be as good as Cabrerra over there? Maybe, maybe not, but that is wholly beside the point here. We should be looking toward the future, and not worrying about keeping a malcontent happy.
Lots of discussion here about when the big “play of the game” occurred yesterday. My vote is for a two out single to keep a game-winning rally alive. The biggest play? Maybe not, but certainly one which if we don’t get, we don’t win in the ninth.
In about a half-season worth of big league at bats, he’s a .305 hitter with 8 HR’s and 41 RBI with a .788 OPS. What is not to like? Please, please play him in the field where he can succeed. Walker could easily handle third (and would likely be willing to do it, BTW) when he comes back.