The Mets tied the game in the ninth inning, went ahead in the 11th inning only to have the Giants tie before plating four runs in the 12th to earn a 6-2 win, which broke a five-game losing streak.
It looked like it was going to be the fourth one-run loss in the last six games. But the Mets rallied in the ninth inning, one that put a smile on the face of those small-ball zealots out there. Pete Alonso was hit by a pitch and went to third when the next batter singled. Alonso scored the tying run on a sac fly by J.D. Davis. All that was missing was a wild pitch.
The small-ball approach failed miserably in the 10th inning, however. With the zombie runner at second base, the Mets tried to bunt him over. But Jonathan Villar, who earlier in the game was picked off first base, was thrown out at third. Brandon Nimmo followed with a single but instead of driving in a run, it only led to advancing the failed bunter to second.
Edwin Diaz, who had a 1-2-3 ninth inning came back for the 10th. Things looked bleak when Diaz had runners at second and third with one out. But he got pinch-hitter Evan Longoria on an infield pop-up and Diaz got the next batter to fly out to end the threat and send the game to 11th inning.
Michael Conforto hit an RBI double to put the Mets ahead. The problem was that Diaz was done and the Mets had already used Miguel Castro and Trevor May earlier in the game. Seth Lugo had thrown just 10 pitches over the last three days but the Mets went to Jeurys Familia. The first batter Familia faced hit a single to tie the game.
But the Mets battled back again, scoring four runs in their half of the 12th, with the big hit being a three-run homer by Kevin Pillar.
Jake Reed closed out the game without allowing a run, notching two strikeouts. Reed now has four scoreless innings as a Met. And Familia vultured another win, despite blowing the save, and is now 7-3 on the season.
What gets lost with the late-inning heroics (Familia aside) was the strong effort by starter Tylor Megill, who allowed just one run in six innings and struck out six batters. With 11 starts in the majors under his belt, Megill has a 3.21 ERA. He’s been a bright spot.
The Mets claimed to “get the monkey off their back” with this win, but I don’t think so. Steve Cohen’s tweet before the game blasted his hitters and I agree with him. The Mets are comfortable in their hypnotic state. Where’s the extra BP? Where’s the bearing down to make contact? The win is nice, but it can’t replace a month of sleepwalking. Hopefully this is a new beginning. Los Angeles awaits.
Megill has certainly been a God send. This guy was in AA ball in April. Makes me think Josh Walker deserves a shot, if he can get the walks under control.
This lineup cries out for Lindor and Baez to get back in so that some of the bench players can return to Syracuse and some of the starters can return to the bench. We have played with a AAA team most of the season and those players can only be relied on for spurts of productivity-otherwise they would have been starters on their previous teams and not available in the last year’s offseason. To have Nido and McCann both ailing is so symptomatic of not only the Mets but of all the injuries around the league. Perhaps baseball has become a young man’s sport and we should all be wary of players in their 30’s and the propensity to pull hammies or oblique muscles. Again, where the hell are the training staffs in preventing injuries?
Clearly it ain’t over till it’s over but with the Braves hitting their stride and the Phillies having some dominant runs, we can’t compete unless we score runs. And good teams win one run games – something we did earlier when we managed to knock someone in from second and third and not put up a zero for those innings. We could have taken 2 of 3 from both the Dodgers and the Giants and will get another chance at resurrecting the season in the next few series. We just don’t seem hungry as those teams who are also fighting for a division. Two wins in a row would be refreshing.
I agree 100% with both of you. I think Cohen will go on a quiet rampage in the off season and will clean house. He is breaking stewing now.
As a fan I am really tired of this lacsadaisical approach to the game. Look at the Yankees. They amped up their aggressiveness and look at the results. This is turning into a really disappointing season.