We know how long it takes to recover from a cross country flight west – two days. After scuffling with the bats the first two games of the series, totaling just one run in 18 innings, the Mets busted out with nine runs and 13 hits en route to a 9-4 win over the Dodgers Saturday night in L.A.
The Mets bashed four homers on the night, including two by Pete Alonso. He hit a two-run homer in the third inning to give the Mets the lead and a three-run shot in the seventh to break open the game. Francisco Lindor started the homer brigade with a solo shot in the first and Eduardo Escobar hit a homer in the fourth.
The Dodgers put up a four-spot in the second inning to take a 4-1 lead but Walker Buehler could not hold it. He gave up a walk to Patrick Mazeika to start the third and then walked Brandon Nimmo. Buehler was upset over a couple of close pitches and then things spiraled out of control after that. Starling Marte had an RBI double and Lindor drove in a run with a groundout, setting the stage for Alonso’s first blast.
Buck Showalter pulled a page out of college baseball’s play book by making a pitching change in the middle of an at-bat in the fourth inning. After Mookie Betts made a loud foul, Showalter pulled starter David Peterson. Colin Holderman came on to fan Betts, the only batter he faced. Holderman picked up the win for his effort.
But that wasn’t the weirdest pitching change of the night.
In the top of the ninth, the Dodgers tried to bring in a position player to pitch. However, a rule states that the deficit must be at least six runs and the 9-4 score didn’t qualify. The umpires seemed unsure what to do and allowed the Dodgers’ relief pitcher to throw plenty of pitches in the pen and even more on the mound. Gary Cohen lost his mind over the umpires not punishing the Dodgers for not knowing the rule.
Yet all’s well that ends well. The Mets snapped a two-game losing streak and showed they could bring the offense, too.
Maybe everyone can calm down a bit now?
Gut reaction the offense returned.
Alonso is on a homerun tear and now leads the league in homeruns and RBIs and his OPS is .918. He is an all star with Goldschimdt and has an OPS 89 points better than Freeman.
Peterson has not been efficient and it has cost him 2 wins in the past two games he pitched.
Let’s go for the split this afternoon. LGM
They showed great “punch back”. Something last year s team didn’t have.
Starting pitching advantages are meaningless.
Can we talk abt the travesty of trying to concede a game bc you are down 5 runs? What an absolute insult to your fans and your team.
Mets got back on the horse yesterday. Today we will see what that horse is. Do they come out swinging and take charge… today’s game means a lot in the swagger wars (which might mean very little)… everyone is ready to concede the top position to the Dodgers, but if the Mets yank a sweep, it will be a fail for the Dodgers, and that sticks in the mind come post-season.
Meanwhile, I’m fed up with Peterson, even while I was his absolute biggest advocate in the past. He just comes out not sharp, and that failure to get ahead of hitters renders him vulnerable… I have very little faith in him at this point. Still think he can be really good, but he has to get on top of it.
I felt a tremendous amount of pride and heart swelling as a Mets fan last night. The Lindor HR showed me he was healthy enough to not need the IL after all, and that was pifqll avoided. The Dodgers 4 run second inning pit a damper on that, but the Mets response in the next inning told me that this was going to be a slugfest. The bullpen made sure it wasn’t.
I, too, was hoping for more from Peterson, but I checked his game logs to see exactly how his year has gone first. To my surprise, overall he has been good, just not reliable. It’s these types of outings that we have gotten too often in the past as well that make us a bit cranky. He’s usable, but like Jon Niese, keep the hook ready to avoid quick catastrophies.