Taijuan Walker was virtually unhittable for six innings, leading the Mets to a 3-2 win over the Marlins Saturday afternoon at Citi Field.
Walker allowed an infield single to lead off the game and with two stolen bases, Walker had a runner at third base. But he retired 18 batters in a row and was just playing with the Marlins’ hitters for most of the game. He struck out the side in the first inning and then again in the fifth en route to a 9-K performance.
The Marlins finally broke thru in the seventh inning with a scratch run. Buck Showalter went to the pen and Drew Smith stranded a runner on second base and proceeded to retire the side in order in the eighth, too.
The Mets had a scratch run of their own in the second inning for an early 1-0 lead, one they extended to a 3-0 advantage thanks to a two-run homer by Francisco Lindor in the third inning. But the Mets were unable to add to the lead for the rest of the game.
Edwin Diaz came on in the ninth inning and allowed a run and had the tying run on second base. But he ended the game with a strikeout, his third of the inning, to notch his 14th save of the season
Very good pitching from both sides, but the better offense won. The Mets offense will have its biggest test since Gosslin and Anderson shut them down on LA, in Alcantara, the early Cy Young favorite with his 1.68 ERA. Bassitt will need to be much like his previous self and really lock down the lineup. I’d like to see the Mets best lineup, including Cahna, Escobar and Guillorme. I’m wondering if Davis is part of the best lineup…
Blowout wins, 1 run victories…just the steady March forward of a solid professional team with a collective mission.
Gut Reaction: fabulous pitching from Walker. 9 K’s only 2 hit’s. Smith added 3 K’s and Diaz and another 3 K’s for a total of 15 K’s. Lindor hit his 11th home run and drove in his 51st RBI which is third in the league. Maybe he’s heating up again. Remember, he has a broken finger and still playing.
Continue to be impressed with Alonso’s play in the field. He has saved many a throw from being an error. Anyone who thinks he does not play good D is not watching this team. We go for the series win today, staying on a steady course. In the face of all the pitching injuries, Walker certainly stepped up and lowered his era to 2.88. This is fun, first place team, to watch.
Alonso is very good at scooping the ball, which is the primary thing you need from a 1B.
But you know what? Most 1B are good at scooping the ball. For every 1B you can name who’s not good at it, I can name three who are. And while scoops are Job #1, there are other things that 1B have to do. And that’s where Alonso comes up short. Here are his rankings by the advanced defensive metrics:
DRS – (-4)
UZR – (-0.7)
OAA – (-4)
RAA – (-3)
The last two are Statcast numbers, the most advanced ones there are. Despite being good at scoops, not one of the advanced metrics that measure everything we know about defensive play see Alonso as even an average-fielding first baseman.
When he was coming up in the minors, all we heard was how bad he was at 1B and how he wouldn’t be able to play the position in the majors. Thru hard work, Alonso has improved defensively. But if we look at UZR – the advanced defensive system that has the most favorable rating for Alonso – he ranks 15th out of 19 MLB 1B with enough innings to qualify for the leaderboards.
I’m very glad the Mets have Alonso. But his value is his offensive production, not his defensive work, even with the scoops.
You know who I don’t see being able to scoop well? Dom Smith! Smith is good at the ranging and looks smooth, but if a ball bounces right in front of Smith, he isn’t catching it.
Well the stats don’t lie and without a doubt his strength for this team is at the plate. And yes he has been known to range too far to his right for a ball that’s not his to field. He does seem to give a great stretch and even stay on long enough for the out evening when falling. Would never confuse him with Olerud or a Keith, but won’t complain about his average fielding that, as you said, he worked hard to improve. I’m glad for him that Lindor and McNeil are hitting to give him some better pitches to swing at.