Max Scherzer pitched seven shutout innings. Jacob deGrom put up 5.2 perfect innings. So, what would Chris Bassitt do for an encore? He pitched eight innings and allowed just an unearned run, leading the Mets to a 5-1 win over the Reds Monday night at Citi Field.
In the chatter, we were wondering if Bassitt would come back for the seventh inning and he did. Then we heard from the booth that Bassitt came off the mound after the seventh and told Buck Showalter he was good for the eighth, too.
Bassitt gave up a lot of hits and had to pitch around runners on base constantly from the fourth inning on. But it was more bleeders and bloops than ringing hard contact, which allowed him to consistently pitch out of trouble.
Meanwhile, the Mets staked Bassitt to an early lead. Brandon Nimmo was hit by a pitch leading off the game and Starling Marte followed with a homer, putting the Mets up, 2-0, after two hitters came to the plate.
The Mets added a run in the third inning with an RBI single by Daniel Vogelbach. And they appeared to put up two more in the fifth but Albert Almora robbed Francisco Lindor of a home run. They did add those runs in the eighth inning, as Tyler Naquin belted a two-run triple.
It was the Mets’ 71st win of the season and it pushed their division lead to 7.0 games ahead of the idle Braves.
Somehow I think the Mets are going to win this division by 10.5 games.
Not to look past the next two games with the Reds……but the Phillies are surging and are short handed. Wait until they need to face Scherzer, deGrom and Bassittt. Almost seems unfair. Great effort by Bassitt. Great D kept some Met hits in the yard or the score would have gotten out of hand. Anyone still questioning the $20M/year they are paying Marte? Cookie on the mound tomorrow for what should be another series win. LGM
Gut Reaction: It isn’t just the hitters that are grinding this year, Bassett grinding out a win for the pitchers. It was a gutty114 pitch performance. The trade deadline acquisitions drove in 3 runs and the off season free agent drove in 2 runs. The off season trade started and won. The off season free agent signing save the game. All are them are having a good year. This team Is so much different. It is not the same “Old Mets”. LGM
Now it makes sense why Lindor was robbed of a HR. Had that happened, we wouldn’t have been able to call this “The Billy Eppler game.”
Was worried about a letdown from the Braves allowing the Reds to steal the first game, but Mets weren’t having it. Nice to take care of business. I like Bassett and the $19MM mutual option the Mets have on him for next year.
Very happy to see Buck going ‘old school’ and letting Bassitt complete 8 IP and going 110+ when Luis Rojas would have probably shut him down after the 6th inning and <90 pitches. At this point in the season there should be no excuse that SPs can't routinely go 105-110 and reaching 120 on some occasions. Enough with needing to yank guys before reaching 100 pitches