The Mets rallied from a late two-run deficit for a 5-4 walkoff win Saturday night against the Diamondbacks. It was the first time since the end of the team’s nine-game winning streak that the Mets had won back-to-back games.
The day started off with the wonderful news that the club DFAd Jose Lobaton. And the news got even better when Michael Conforto stayed hot with a two-run homer off lefty Patrick Corbin for a 2-1 Mets lead.
But Steven Matz was unable to hold the lead, done in part by himself and part by his defense. He gave up a solo homer to the slumping Paul Goldschmidt to tie the game. Matz then surrendered a two-out walk. He picked the batter off first, but a poor throw by Wilmer Flores allowed the runner to (allegedly) beat the tag. Replay seemed to show the runner was out but perhaps there was not enough irrefutable evidence to overturn the call. Then Matz surrendered a gopher ball to the weak-hitting catcher batting 8th to give the D’Backs a 4-2 lead. John Ryan Murphy got to Matz earlier in the game, too, driving in Arizona’s first run with a single.
It looked like a game that the Mets were destined to give away. They had two solid scoring chances and came up empty both times. The first was with runners on first and second with no outs and the second one was with the bases loaded and one out. The run expectancy matrix shows that they should have scored around three runs with those two situations. Instead they got zero.
But the bullpen was great and the Mets rallied to tie in the eighth inning, as Devin Mesoraco delivered a no-doubt two-run homer. D’backs pitcher Archie Bradley didn’t even turn around to look after Mesoraco hit the ball. It was his third homer since joining the Mets.
Brandon Nimmo started the ninth inning with a ball that just missed going out, settling for a double off lefty reliever Andrew Chafin. It was his second hit of the game and third time on base. Nimmo advanced to third on a bunt by Asdrubal Cabrera and Flores popped one deep enough to the outfield to score the game winner.
The win was great but it covered up more questionable moves by Mickey Callaway. Despite having just a four-man bench, he used a pinch-hitter for Matz in the fourth inning with two outs and no one on. Then in the sixth inning, he had to use lefty Adrian Gonzalez against a lefty reliever with the bases loaded. Gonzalez was unable to come through. And because he went to the bullpen so early, he had to use both Seth Lugo and Paul Sewald, one night after using Robert Gsellman. The Mets have had a bunch of days off and rainouts up until this point. But they just started a stretch of 18 games in 17 days so he needs to be more careful about bullpen deployment.
If Mesoraco stays healthy and doesn’t ask for the moon as a free agent (he’s making over 13 million this year), then we might have ourselves a bona fide catcher for the next few years. Pitchers rave about him and he looks like a hitter.
Nice to have a catcher that can hit after having to deal with Lobaton and Nidi embarrass themselves for around a month. Mesoraco reminds me of Ramon Castro but without the criminal record and better defense. Nimmo driving a pitch off a lefty was great to see and he had some high quality plate appearances as always. Conforto is getting red hot and he destroyed the ball on his homer and it was pretty obvious Corbin wanted no part of Conforto with Reyes on deck.
I was surprised that the Diamondbacks didn’t walk Wilmer but hey they decided to go with sss noise of this year where Wilmer doesn’t do his usual lefty killing. Wilmer getting the sac fly was great too.
I was sure that the Mets would lose the game when Reyes popped out with the bases loaded and Mesoraco’s homer off a elite reliever was pretty surprising and more than made up for his at bat in the sixth inning.
The bullpen was terrific and please dfa Reyes he’s an automatic out and plays bad defense enough already, but we all know Jeff will continue to protect Reyes’ spot. That all said, great win and hopeful Thor can lead the Mets to a sweep vs a team that’s mightily struggling.
Regarding Callaway’s moves that you touched on, I have no problem with the pitching side as Matz throws too many hittable pitches and Callaway had rested relievers. As for Gonzalez hitting, what were the options as most righties were already in the game as Guillorme, Nido and Gonzalez were the bench tonight.
If you like lefties, “we gotta whole lotta moe” (Mr. T in Rocky III), Dominic Smith has been switched to RF, his high school position. I recall, he threw 96 at the time… We’re stuck with Adrian Loney, it seems.
Nice of Bruce to contribute something, but he needs to be hitting lower in the order now that Conforto is hot. Bruce may be Alderson’s worst multi-year signing. He plays like a stiff, he runs like a stiff, he hits like a stiff. I really think Alderson is too out of touch to build a top-notch organization, but he can pull a quarter out of an ear here and there.
The relievers were rested thanks to two scheduled days off last week. They’re certainly not rested now and the schedule is not set up for them like it was earlier. This is morphing into Collins – all relievers on deck every day every inning. And you can’t do that with guys who are going 2 or more innings at a time.
I’m not sure how Alderson was supposed to know that Bruce was going to come down with plantar fasciitis.
In comparing to Collins: Collins would burn out his closer in a five run game by pitching him three straight, because it’s a big win. I am not too much a fan of Callaway’s usage, but we had Collins for seven years and this guy for seven weeks. And, if your pitcher can’t get out of the fourth inning… I’ll give a bit more rope to Callaway, but Matz’ is running out and Lugo is ready.
On the plantar fasciitis: He has a history. But, he also has a history of hitting .240, I call bullshit on his injury. But, let’s play along. Where’s that Director of Performance to let him rest and heal? Where is Callaway’s love for his guys to “protect them from themselves”? Why didn’t Lagares and Nimmo play so he can heal, when he obviously was running the team down?
But, what if they play better without him? How does that look on the genius?
If Matz didn’t come up to hit in the bottom of the fourth – do you think he would have come out and pitched the fifth? I do. I think this is clearly a case of an inexperienced manager coming from the DH league who doesn’t know how to handle this aspect of the game.
Jay Bruce has played 146 or more games in seven of the past eight years and the one season he didn’t, he played 137. If you think Bruce is jaking it, that he’s faking an injury — that says more about you than it does him.
And I agree 100% – Callaway should have rested him more often to get Nimmo or Lagares into the lineup.
It’s not that he’s faking it, it’s how much does it really affect him? My dad is an old waiter (server in today’s world). He told me that he was taught by his elders to take care of your feet and wear good shoes because once your feet get hurt and you don’t let them heal, you will always be hurting them.
Bruce is hitting his normal BA, and since he has said that he’s played through it his whole career, I would say that it’s normal to him. While he may feel some discomfort, if it’s too much he should sit. If it isn’t, he should shut up about it. My knees hurt daily, I still perform. Sorry, no sympathy from me for playing through a chronic injury. Let it heal Jay…
As for Matz, it seems what pisses off Callaway the most is his inability to learn, conform. He continues to act like a twelve year old and pitch like a high school kid – with no plan. Did you read about the temper tantrum he threw at himself in the dugout after the homerun? Isn’t that getting old? How about performing better in general?
One thing I would like to say, while I don’t know who to park the blame on, Matz or Callaway, letting the #8 batter beat you two consecutive times with two outs in the inning and an obvious non pinch-hit situation is a major brain fart.
Much, much worse than a “brain fart.” I put the blame wholly on Matz. It’s truly unforgivable to do it not once, but twice. How could he not know that you simply have to pitch around the number 8 hitter in both of those spots, especially with two out?????
It’s as if today’s players have no understanding whatsoever of the game.
Pete, after my usual stop here, I went to SNY and saw that Callaway was equally pissed at throwing a changeup to a #8 hitter on 3-2, which he says is the hardest pitch to control. Too, Mesoraco owned up to calling the pitch, but said he should have emphasized better to Matz to bury it, cause he knew the #8 hitter would have the pressure on his shoulders to chase with the pitcher behind him.
You know, I like this Mesoraco guy. A lot! He brings something we don’t see in the Mets organization too often: Brains! How come our catchers don’t think that way and they had to bring Nido up for Mesoraco to teach him?
All in all, it was “I can’t believe it.” I kept on saying it the whole game. First when Matz walked the weak hitting lefty Dyson. Then all the clutch at bats that didn’t happen. All the guys were frustrated esecially Matz returning to the dugout after his disaster inning. I thought he was going to hurt himself
Then “I can’t believe it” that our catcher position can hit home runs. “I can’t believe it” Arizona allowed Cabrerra to bunt(for a hit). “I can’t believe it” that the good guys won!
I have 3 observations from last night’s game.
1) If he can stay healthy and if he is reasonable as far as a contract this off-season, I think Mesoraco can be a long-term answer behind the plate. But there is still a lot of season to play.
2) On Ahmed’s double in the first, I couldn’t believe Bruce was running toward the corner on a ball which was barely fair and slicing. How could he have not known it was clearly going to hit the stands and rebound into short right?? Geez, it is his home park!! And Cabrera was asleep on the play as well.
3) I always hear people say they use instant replay to “get the call right.” Well, that certainly was not the case on the Dyson play at second.
Certainly a good win last night. It would be really, really big for this club to win today with Syndergaard on the hill and Miami coming to town for three.