Gut Reaction: Mets 7, A’s 5 (7/21/15)

The Mets claimed their third straight win with a 7-5 win over the visiting A’s Friday night at Citi Field.

There were a bunch of good things that happened in this game but let’s focus first on the bullpen moves, just because they were so interesting. The Mets trailed 3-2 with one out in the fifth inning and had runners on first and second when starting pitcher Steven Matz was due to hit. Matz was not particularly effective and had given up two runs in the top of the inning. But he had a hit his previous time up. Manager Terry Collins opted to pinch-hit Curtis Granderson. This was absolutely a defensible decision and the announcers speculated that it was a wakeup call for Matz. For his part, the pitcher looked completely disgusted sitting on the bench. The Mets were unable to score in the fifth.

The price of pinch-hitting for the pitcher was the need to use the bullpen for a minimum of four innings. The Mets’ bullpen has not been good with the exception of closer Addison Reed, who had been used in back-to-back games, including a four-out save. Hansel Robles was the first guy in and he gave up a hit in the sixth but also had two strikeouts and looked solid. After the Mets took the lead in the bottom of the sixth, Robles was not brought back for the seventh inning. Again, a defensible move, letting him leave with a good outing. But arguably not the correct move, as the Met’s pen was, well the 2017 Mets pen.

Paul Sewald came on and gave up two walks in the seventh but escaped without allowing a run. The Mets added to their lead and up by four runs, they brought on Erik Goeddel to pitch the eighth. Again, a defensible move. It was at least a bit curious since the leadoff man in the inning was a lefty. Goeddel allowed a leadoff hit and three of the four batters he faced reached base safely.

With the lead cut to 7-4 and with runners on the corners, Reed was brought in to presumably nail down a five-out save. Instead, he gave up a walk and a single, making the lead 7-5 and the A’s had the bases loaded. With lefty Yonder Alonso up, Jerry Blevins came into the game. It was next to impossible to argue with this move. Alonso did not start the game with the lefty Matz on the hill yet he entered the night with 21 HR. Reed didn’t seem to have his best stuff and he was miffed at the home plate ump for not getting the call on a borderline pitch.

Blevins got Alonso to pop up to first and the next batter, righty Khris Davis, was beat with an 87 mph fastball to end the threat. It was a gutsy performance by Blevins.

The first batter up in the ninth was a righty, the second a lefty and then a pinch-hitter. But the A’s did not have a RHB available on the bench. Blevins came out to start the ninth. As the only RHP left for the Mets was Fernando Salas, it seemed like an easy call. Yet that meant they were going to ask Blevins to get five outs, something he hadn’t done his entire tenure with the Mets.

Blevins got the righty with an infield pop, got the lefty on a K after the batter seemed miffed at the ump over a called strike on an 0-1 pitch and got the pinch-hitter on a lazy fly to center field. All in all, a terrific outing by Blevins.

Michael Conforto was the big offensive star, with two two-run homers out of the leadoff spot. T.J. Rivera had two hits, including a two-run single in the seventh inning that turned into a Little League home run. Yoenis Cespedes remained homerless but had a three-hit game