The Mets cruised to an 8-2 victory over their division rival the Phils before a crowd of 37,445 at Citi Field. The first-place Mets improved their record to 31-17. The home-town nine drew first blood in the second when Starling Marte motored into third base on a single to right by Mark Canha, and then scored on a Dom Smith sac fly.
Philadelphia pulled ahead temporarily in the fourth when they loaded the bases against Mets starter Taijuan Walker, and J.T. Realmuto smacked a single to plate two of his mates. The Mets quickly regained the lead in the bottom of the frame when Jeff McNeil smashed a 3-run homer into the second deck in right, driving the ball through a brief downpour.
The Mets added 3 more runs in the fifth to pretty much put the game away. The big blow was a Franciso Lindor triple to left-center that scored 2 runs. Lindor’s shot split the defense, but it looked like a ball that could have been catchable with more agile fielders.
Walker pitched 5 innings to get the win, and the bullpen took care of the rest of the game, allowing no more runs. Colin Holderman pitched 2 innings, with 1 inning each for Adam Ottavino and Seth Lugo. Zach Eflin took the loss for Philadelphia.
Luis Guillorme hit leadoff and had another great game, he was three for three with a walk, raising his BA to .352 and his OBP to .439 as he continues to make a strong case for more playing time. Pete Alonso had a sacrifice fly RBI to increase his league-leading total to 46.
The Mets look to keep rolling against Philadelphia Sunday night with ESPN broadcasting the game
Winning is fun, and having a nice lead the majority of the game is funner.
This is a good team. They have a lot of professional, mature players who know how to play the game. Canha, Marte, and Escobar are solidifying the talented but rudderless core group that was just waiting to implode last year. Add Buck, and the team has depth and confidence that I would have thought was unattainable in November.
They even have the depth to let Dom figure out who he is. If he can start to make contact, he plays. If he doesn’t, he will have played himself off the team, just as Cano did.
Sweet that finally Lindor is contributing.
Alonso is a legit MVP candidate
McNeil is establishing himself on a bounce back.
Nimmo is surging.
Canha is a quiet force… doing his thing under the radar.
Marte is still arriving… best days are probably ahead.
Luis G is unconscious.
Gut Reaction: another Series win. 8-3, 9.5 game lead in the standings against the Phillies. Let’s get greedy and get a sweep and a double digit lead on them. It would be sweet!
Guillorme deserves more playing time, even at the expense of Smith and Escobar. Ride the hot bat and his glove has always been exceptional.
Holderman a home grown reliever that is making his mark. He is appropriately named for a relief pitcher. Man he can accumulate “Holds”. Maybe in the future he will change his name to “Saverman”.