One win doesn’t solve everything, but, in the moment this one sure seemed to do the trick. After a not-so-good Noah Syndergaard start and another seemingly quiet night for Mets bats, it looked like we were about to lose our fifth game in a row, before three bolts of light broke through the clouds.
With the Mets down 5-2 in the 7th inning, they staged a comeback rally against reliever Craig Stammen. Pete Alonso got the scoring started with an RBI single, followed by a Michael Conforto sacrifice fly. Brandon Nimmo stepped to the plate mired in the third worst “0-for” slump in Mets history (Rey Ordonez owns the longest) and broke out in a big way with a game-tying RBI double.
Seth Lugo kept the Mets in it with two scoreless innings, setting the stage for Rookie of the Year candidate Pete Alonso to be the hero, and the big kid did not disappoint. With a runner on, reliever Adam Warren threw a fastball to Alonso’s liking and the big righty crushed it well over the left field wall to give the Mets what seemed like a comfortable two-run lead for Edwin Diaz to save.
The bottom of the ninth was a nail biter deluxe – the type of inning we’ve seen over the years from John Franco and Jeurys Familia, but not typical of Diaz. Two walks and two hits led to a Padres run and the tying run on third with one out. At this point you had to be watching the game between your fingers like a teenage girl at a horror movie. Amazingly, Diaz got a big strikeout of Eric Hosmer on a called strike three before getting Hunter Renfroe to ground out to end the game.
This game had it’s share of negatives as well – Syndergaard allowing nine hits and five runs (four earned), Amed Rosario making yet another error and Todd Frazier going 0-for-4 to drop his average to .146. But the positives – Nimmo breaking out, Alonso going 3-for-5 with four RBI, Robinson Cano going 4-for-5 and the offense waking up with 12 hits and five walks.
This was an important win as the Mets will trot out the newly minted Met, Wilmer Font, who just came over in a trade with the Rays. Font primarily served as an opener and reliever and is not expected to go more than 75 pitches today so we’ll see Robert Gsellman and others before long. The Padres are countering with the lefty Matt Strahm. Hopefully the Mets bring their bats to play again.
Definitely nice to get back on the winning side of things. And that ball that Alonso hit was absolutely crushed. If that building in LF wasn’t there, it might still be going.
For the love of all things holy, the next time Syndergaard pitches – I want to see Nido behind the plate. I can’t believe Mickey has forgotten how well the two of them worked together last year.
Gut reaction: Alfonso took the team and carried them on his back. He walks the walk and talks to talk. He is a special player. His home run was a monster, in distance and what it represents to the team
Lugo again pitched well. Callaway is using him efficiently as a multi-inning pitcher.
Diaz mios, thank God we got Edwin, even when he struggles he still got the job done
Maybe the Mets can take the series by changing the font to spell win.
Alonso is first Met position player,I can think of that has come up big ,when he made comments about the team needing the win…..For now he may have saved Mickey,we will see if they can get today’s game they need it, Calloway also….One more time Pete…..
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Cal Paul Quantrill is the son of Paul Quantrill: I figured that out by myself (with some help from BR)