The Mets picked up their second shutout in three games, as they blanked the Nationals, 4-0, Sunday afternoon at Citi Field to take the rubber game of the series.
J.D. Davis gave the Mets the early lead with a two-run homer in the first inning. Davis singled and scored a run in the fourth. The Mets missed a chance to add on more runs when Brandon Nimmo was called out on a 3-2 pitch that appeared out of the strike zone with the bases loaded. Pete Alonso, moved to second in the order for this game, homered to lead off the fifth inning, which could have made it 8-0.
But the Mets didn’t need the extra runs, thanks to a combination of good defense and good pitching by Taijuan Walker. There were innings – yes, plural – where Walker was bailed out by a defensive play. There were also frames where he needed just eight and seven pitches to get three outs.
No bigger play came then in the top of the sixth when with two runners on base, Kyle Schwarber hit a missile to center field. But Albert Almora made a really nice catch, one that Gary Cohen would have lost his mind if Juan Lagares had made it. The play saved two runs.
Walker went seven innings to pick up his first win as a Met. Miguel Castro and Edwin Diaz closed out the game. After an off day Monday, the Mets start an interleague series with the Red Sox on Tuesday.
An encouraging win for a team that needed it:
1. Taijuan pitched well… went deep into the game.
2. JDDavis looked solid at the plate and appears restored after some bad stretches last week.
3. Alonso on pace for 50.
4. Bench players made solid contributions.. defensively!
5. Every team in the division lost, the Braves lost 2!
6. Two games against a solid Red Sox team… gotta pitch around JD Martinez… DeGrom on Wednesday… a mini-sweep quite attainable.
I couldn’t watch the game – but did hear it on the radio – I was getting updates from San Francisco… from MLBTR:
“Also in San Francisco, Wilmer Flores missed today’s ballgame because he was under the weather, but after receiving fluids he’s on the mend.”
#SaveWilmer
Geez – is he still crying?
Hey… you leave my buddy alone…
Everyone making such a big deal about the Almora catch. Oh please… Nimmo would have taken one step back and be in position to catch that.
That’s the line of the day Gus! Thanks for the laugh
Gus – great point about Nimmo. How many singles would have fallen in front of him though?
Love Wilmer as well. Least the Giants beat the Marlins today.
Much like how Gary points out every time a ball is hit where an infielder would have played before the shift, you can be sure he’ll point out balls that fall in front of Nimmo.
Nimmo has been league average in DRS and he has a +1 OAA Statcast rating. He’s been better in both those metrics than Conforto.
John, I’m sure you have, but whoever hasn’t seen “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off” has no idea what I’m talking about the “SaveWilmer”. Need to start putting that on the water towers of Flushing.
Gut Reaction: Rojas made some good moves to shake up the batting order.
Alonso in the 2 spot and Davis at the clean-up spot both homered.
Villar got a hit and defensively made a relay throw that get the runner at third.
Almora starting in CF made the defensive gem saving two runs.
Every move made sense.
In referencing Nimmo’s depth last night, this is what Ken Rosenthal in The Athletic had:
“At the suggestion of Jared Faust, a member of the Mets’ analytics department, he began playing deeper in center field.
Statcast rated Nimmo one out above average in center each season from 2017 to ‘19, but had him at minus four in ‘20. In late August, Faust showed Nimmo video of high catch probability flyballs that he failed to reach, the majority of which landed on the warning track.
“This is not who you are,” Faust said.
To maximize his ability, Nimmo needed to adjust his positioning. Through the Mets’ first 23 games, his average depth was 317 feet, where the fastest and best defensive center fielders play. Nimmo was not part of that group; Statcast ranked him among roughly the top 20 percent in sprint speed in 2019-20. Faust found that center fielders who had similar speed and went back on balls in similar fashion were playing deeper.
A recalibration made sense for other reasons as well. Nimmo was more proficient coming in on balls than back and particularly vulnerable on balls hit over his left shoulder. Playing him deeper, Faust reasoned, would move some of his chances in the 30 to 40 percent catch probability range into the 75 to 100 percent category, making him a more efficient center fielder.
Nimmo’s change in positioning roughly coincided with the Mets’ return in late August from a five-day layoff resulting from a player and coach testing positive for COVID-19. In the team’s final 21 games, his average depth was 327 feet, a 10-foot difference from earlier. In the first 16 games of this season, it was 328. The major-league average for center fielders since the start of the 2020 season is 322.
Defensive metrics can be unreliable in small samples, but Nimmo already is one out above average this season. He will adjust his positioning, “depending upon which pitcher we have going that day, whether it’s groundball, flyball or Jake deGrom.” And a catch he made in the Mets’ second game, on a ball hit by Bryce Harper off Miguel Castro into the left-center field gap, demonstrated the value of him playing deeper.
The play came at a critical juncture, with two outs in the seventh inning, runners on second and third and the Mets leading, 6-2. Statcast assigned the catch four stars out of five, meaning the probability was between 26 and 50 percent. Faust later told Nimmo that early last season, he did not make a single catch at that level of difficulty.”
This was an interesting article. Thanks Gus. Maybe the Mets could expand the late inning defensive platoon; Nimmo LF, Almora CF, Pillar RF, Smith 1B, Villar 2B and Guilleme 3B! It would be impractical but each position would be an upgrade defensively.
Soon we’ll hear “CF, where fly balls go to die!” for Almora.
Davis is still double clutching.
And soon we’ll be treated to a starting rotation of deGrom, Stroman, Carrasco, Walker and Syndergaard. Oh man!
I noticed the Davis double-clutching too but he did make a nice tag on the Conforto-to-Villar-to Davis relay to nail the runner at third. That was a big play.
The Almora catch and the Lindor catch were both very very good plays as well.
That was a great tag by JD!
Big Pete also looks much improved defensively at 1B so far, as well as at the plate!
So far I’m quite happy with Villar’s play. He is contributed on both sides of the ball.
I watched him enough last season to feel he was not an upgrade defensively. Hard to say if he is markedly better than McNeil at this point, but he has done well. He certainly threw a dart to third to nail Robles.
Offensively I’ll take whatever he can add to the mix. I’m not sure it is accurate when Gary says “he can fly” though. Not sure he’s the same guy that stole 62 bases one year. But if he makes consistent contact and doesn’t flail at pitches out of the zone, I’ll take whatever happens.
I think Alonso in the 2 hole and Davis hitting cleanup for a while might be something to stick with. At least while Davis is raking. This team needs to get off to a fast start offensively and score some first inning runs. Lindor can bat 3 or 5 (he’s gonna start hitting soon right?).
“Juan Lagares” was the first thing I thought when Almora made the catch.
Great thread tonight. Entertaining for sure. Starters are throwing lots of innings and the pen hasn’t killed us. Would feel better when Conforto and Lindor heat up, buts it’s a long season and patience is just another phrase for being a Met fan. Bring on the Sox!