Gut Reaction: Mets 6, Giants 2 (4/21/22)

On a picturesque mid 50’s sunny afternoon in the middle of spring break in the Big Apple, the Giants and Mets played the last game of a four game series. Carlos Carrasco was on the mound for the Mets and Anthony Discalfani for the Giants. The Giants lead off hitter, Mike Yastrzemski, led off the game with a bunt hit but was stranded there after two consecutive strikeouts and a ground out. The Mets got on the board in the bottom of the first inning when DH Francisco Lindor homered down the right field line just inside the foul pole. Just a pitch or two earlier, Gary Cohen was crowing how DiSclafani avoided the home runs last year – yielding just four all year – and had a career year.

The Giants got the run right back in the second inning, when lead off hitter Brandon Crawford got hit by a pitch. Then, Wilmer Flores beautifully stroked an outside pitching to right field for a base hit making it first and second, after a failed sacrifice, the Giants plated the run on a single to CF. That was the last base runner the Giants had until the eighth inning.

Meanwhile, the Mets offense was just getting warmed up. In the bottom of the second inning, Eduardo Escobar homered to right field to give the Mets a 2-1 lead. Mark Cahna singled but was forced on a groundout by Travis Jankowski. With Jankowski on the move, SS Luis Guillorme hit a perfect hit and run single to move Jankowski to third. Tomas Nido then had a sacrifice fly to score Jankowski and the Mets had a 3-1 lead.

In the bottom of the third inning, Lindor led off with a base hit. Then, Jeff McNeal had a double to right centerfield that hit off the tippy-top of the wall and missed being a home run by less than a foot, putting runners on second and third with no outs. DiSclafani bore down and got Pete Alonso to ground to Crawford for the first out holding the runners. He then got Escobar on a strike out keeping the runners on their bases. However, Mark Cahna, who has been incredible in the early part of the season, came through once again with a two out basehit to left field driving in both runners on what seemed to be a major turning point in the game. It was now 5-1 Mets and Carrasco was cruising.

The Mets kept peppering DiSclafani and his relievers with hits, but couldn’t bunch any together until the eighth inning, so we enjoyed the quick pace of the game and Gary Cohen complaining about the SNY studio showing Yankees highlights when he didn’t realize the MLB.tv audience doesn’t get the studio and his microphone was still hot.

In their half of the eighth inning, the Giants got their lead off runner on via an error by Guillorme breaking a string of 18 retired in a row by Carrasco. That mistake was erased by the very next batter on a double play. With two outs Carrasco tried to finish the eighth but gave up a meatball to Mike Yastrzemski who homered to make it 5-2. That was it for Carrasco who left to a standing ovation from the fans and Keith Hernandez. Joely Rodriguez came in to strikeout Brandon Belt.

The Mets got that run back in their half of the eighth. Jankowski led off with a walk and Guillorme followed with a perfect drag bunt hit. With the two runners on and no outs, Nido attempted to sacrifice them over. However, Wilmer Flores who has been outstanding defensively this whole series, quickly pounced on the bunt and got the force at third on a speedy Jankowski. Previously, Flores also had ranged far to his left in the sixth inning to take a base hit away from Lindor with two men on and two outs. Brandon Nimmo covered Nido with a basehit to centerfield bringing home Guillorme and it was a 6-2 game.

In the ninth, Edwin Diaz had a clean ninth inning with two strikeouts and the Mets are off to Arizona to play the Diamondbacks tomorrow night.