The Mets’ anemic offense apparently got some vitamin shots the last three days. They scored six runs the past two days, then doubled that total in drubbing the Pirates in Pittsburgh.
Steven Matz took on Nick Kingham at PNC Park, but you knew from word one that this would not be a night for the pitchers. After Kingham got the first two outs in the top of the first, Michael Conforto laced a double to center and Wilmer Flores followed that with a booming homerun to left. The Pirates drew even in the bottom half, though, when David Freese launched a two-run jack of his own. The Mets would take the lead back in the second when Devin Mesoraco walked leading off, Matz lined out and Amed Rosario grounded back to the box, allowing Mesoraco to advance to second. He would come home on a long double to right by Asdrubal Cabrera — the ball making an audible clank as it struck the top of the right field wall. The Mets added a run in the third on a Mesoraco sacrifice fly. But the Pirates pulled even again, on another two-run homer, this one by Josh Harrison. It wouldn’t stay tied for very long. Rosario singled leading off the fourth and Cabrera’s terrific night continued with yet another two-run shot. A series of Pittsburgh infield miscues and bad throws led to another run in that fourth inning, making it a 7-4 Mets lead.
Things stayed quiet until the seventh, when the Mets blew the doors off this game with another three-spot. Jeff McNeil, leading off, beat the shift with a bunt single to third. Mesoraco hit a bullet to right for a base hit. Jose Reyes pinch hit for Matz and popped out, but Roasrio knocked McNeil home with a base hit. After a wild pitch, Cabrera’s grounder chased home Mesoraco. With Conforto up, Pittsburgh hurler Richard Rodriguez uncorked his second wild pitch of the inning, allowing Rosario to score. For good measure, Matt denDekker got into the act with a sacrifice fly in the eighth, though he still is 0-for-2018.
That’s three wins in a row: the first time that’s happened in a month!
Two veterans, Jason Vargas and Ivan Nova will square off tomorrow night.
Didn’t get to see the game. Enjoyed the recap until the last sentence. Maybe in this upside down year, Vargas will do great in the second half after being lousy in the first.
A few items from the game:
1. Rosario had two hits and could have had two more but the first two times up he was thrown out by an eyelash on a play that he was ruled safe on and was reviewed, and by a foot his second time up. He is starting to run deeper counts and hitting with authority. This experience at the top of the lineup is great, and it would be awesome if Nimmo could break out of his funk and hit second.
2. Jeff McNeil made a bad play at third and allow a ball to play him by backing up instead of charging it. This came after Flores couldn’t figure out how to go back on a foul ball and it glanced off his glove and landed foul with two outs. However, Matz calmly got the next guy out and while his pitch count was in the 70’s in the third inning, he handled himself well and lasted six innings. Wheeler, Matz and Gsellman I think are the Callaway/Eiland team’s best work.
3. On the above referenced play by McNeil, the boys in the booth spoke how he is “a work in progress defensively”, with no real position. While his best position is second base, even there he isn’t proficient.
4. Cabrera will definitely be traded by July 31st. There is enough action on him that the Mets can move him and not allow him to be a waiver claim in August when they lose their leverage. Tim Healey of Newsday expects both Cabrera and Wheeler to go to Milwaukee, and Flores somewhere also. 🙁 Name, Chris and Brian will sleep better.
And the faster these anchors are off the team the better.
And just for good measure, they ought to ship Blevins and Bautista to anyone who would have them.