Turned out that the “always play us tough” Marlins were just what the doctor ordered for the Mets to end their slide, as they thumped their division rival, 9-3, in their home opener Friday afternoon.
The Mets used 12 walks and six hits to produce their runs. And three of their six hits were homers, as Starling Marte went deep in the sixth inning, while Francisco Lindor and Pete Alonso went back-to-back in the eighth.
Four different players had at least two walks for the Mets, including Brandon Nimmo, who drew four free passes. Nimmo now has a .455 OBP this year.
Tylor Megill got the win and he pitched six scoreless innings. He might have gone further but he got hit on the lower leg with a shot off the bat of Jean Segura, a ball with an exit velocity of 107.9 mph. Megill allowed just three hits and lowered his ERA to a 1.64 mark.
Another day game for the Mets on Saturday, as Kodai Senga makes his Citi Field debut with a 4:10 p.m. start
I’m going to quibble here Brian and call you out for using “thumping” in describing how the Mets won today. Sure they won 9-3; sure they hit three homers……..but 12 free passes along with the six total hits isn’t a thumping. It is though taking advantage of a lesser opponent.
A thumping is what Milwaukee delivered to us earlier this week.
Gut Reaction: Megill is stepping up and meeting the challenge. He had the best game this season for a Mets starting pitcher. The first half of the game was very frustrating for the Mets offense. Ground out after ground out with no clutch hits. It was very troubling to see Escobar ( like Marte earlier in the week)getting thrown out trying to advance after a sacrifice fly and jeopardize the run. Both decisions were bad base running decisions. Then all of a sudden…., they started hitting home runs. Go figure.
Nice win over a team we must beat. 9-3 is a thumping but clearly our bats for the most part do not leave you agreeing with such a description. Megill sure stepped up, just what he needs to keep doing. When do we see Alvarez?
It will be an interesting decision today on Alvarez.
If the priority is Senga, and getting him in position for the best possible success, than Nido is clearly the better receiver.
I didn’t love that Buck said that he’d “consider” Alvarez at DH, but opined that he preferred veteran hitters for that role (read: Pham).
I’d like to see him DH today and catch Carrasco tomorrow.
To be clear: He hit 3-28 during Spring Training and has whiffed 8 times already this season at AAA. The bat might not be ready, either.
I say: Let’s find out. Can’t really let Nido & Pham block his playing time. Once he’s 1-12 w/ 6 whiffs, it will be easier to adjust downward.
If Mets plan is to build farm system, part of that has to be receptiveness to young players at the ML level. Mets will always be in “win now” mode. Ultimately, it feels like the timing here isn’t what they planned on or hoped for.
Agreed.
I agree that I want to see Alvarez at DH today, for the reason you stated. And I agree with your last graph, too.
I’d suggest that Alvarez needs more than 12 ABs to determine if he’s ready to hit MLB pitching. Escobar has 25 PA and has a .203 OPS and odds are he’s in the lineup again today. Alvarez should get at least that long of a leash. And I’d say it should be longer than that, too. The Ks are going to be part of the package. But no one’s going to care how often he strikes out if he delivers the power to slot between Lindor and Alonso when it comes to homers.