The Mets got blanked in the final game of the regular season but given they won Game #161, few people outside of Arizona are very upset. While it would have been nice to win and knock the Braves out of the playoffs, the important thing was no one got hurt in the 3-0 loss. The setback means the Mets will square off against the Brewers in the Wild Card round.
Joey Lucchesi was promoted for this game and gave the Mets everything they could have hoped for, as he pitched six innings and allowed just one run. Huascar Brazoban and Adam Ottavino finished up, leaving Jose Butto and Reed Garrett (and Ryne Stanek) fresh for Tuesday.
Not much to talk about offensively. Jose Iglesias had an infield single in the ninth inning to extend his hitting streak to 22 games. Harrison Bader went 0-3 with two strikeouts. For the doubleheader, he was 0-5. He finishes September with a .154 AVG and in his final 61 games of the season, he hit .161, going 23-143.
By winning the first game, the Mets were able to hold back Luis Severino, who should get the start on Tuesday. In his final eight games of the year, Severino had a 3.17 ERA, with 52 Ks in 48.1 IP.
At the all star break i predicted 91 wins. They got close….closer than I really believed possible but they put together that 18-5 stretch late and it was just enough. The first game was a microcosm of the entire season.
So happy they made it. Only the 4th team to ever make the playoffs after starting 0-5.
Excited to see how they go about making some adjustments against Milwaukee. I would like to see an infield of Acuna at 2, Iglesias at 3b, and vientos dh ing for game 1. I think we need the added element Acuna brings to negate their speed advantage somewhat.