There’s a box laying in an empty Mets clubhouse. An unsuspecting Travis d’Arnaud is standing over the box accompanied by Curtis Granderson and Jose Reyes. There was an ominous tone to the meeting as Reyes had already committed most of the seven deadly sins prior to this tension filled moment:
Gluttony – in 2010, it was discovered that Reyes suffered from thyroid problems which many attributed to either diet or drug use.
Greed – He bolted the Mets after signing a six year $106 million contract with the Marlins as soon as free agency began.
Sloth – In his last game with the Mets, Reyes bunted for a single and exited the game ensuring he would win the batting title.
Lust – After being traded last year, Reyes openly talked about how desperately he wanted to once again be a member of the New York Mets despite his being a member of the Colorado Rockies.
Pride – In 2007, Reyes set out to get the Mets all time stolen base record even though his sliding headfirst each and every time was taken a toll on his hands and was noted as a factor in his second half decline.
Wrath – Reyes was charge with beating his wife in their hotel room in Hawaii.
The last sin is what brings us here today. If not for that last sin, Reyes isn’t released from the Rockies. He wouldn’t have found himself back with the Mets organization. He certainly wouldn’t have found himself standing in the Mets clubhouse. Now, there is just one thing he wants, but he can’t have it because it because it belongs to another. This is the point we’re at when d’Arnaud is standing over that box in the clubhouse. He bends down, and he opens it up horrified.
It’s an entire box of Mets jerseys with the number 7. All of these jerseys with the number 7 – home, away, blue alternates, and even the 1986 racing stripe jerseys. They all have the number 7. However, now, these jerseys no longer bear d’Arnaud’s name on the back. No. These jerseys now have Reyes’ name on the back. Reyes took his number back; the number he Envied.
The Mets were just swept by the Nationals. A week before they were swept by the lowly Braves. They had lost 11 of their last 17 games. The Mets were in a stretch where they had scored only nine runs over their past five games, and John Lackey had pitched 5.1 shutout innings against a lifeless Mets offense that was only able to muster up two hits. Then Yoenis Cespedes stepped up to the plate and did this:
From that point forward, the Mets have been a different team. The Mets made an improbable comeback in that game scoring three more runs in the seventh inning to win the game 4-3.
From there, the Mets would sweep a four game set from the Cubs much like they did in last year’s NLCS. They pummeled Jason Hammel like it was Game 4 of the NLCS. They beat reigning Cy Young Award winner Jake Arrieta. They scored 14 runs in a game started by the $155 million dollar man Jon Lester. Overall, the Mets averaged eight runs per game against a Cubs team that leads the National League in team ERA at batting average against. It was an unexpected and impressive performance. The Mets offense transformed from a feckless one to one that could seemingly overcome any obstacle.
We saw that again on Sunday. Matt Harvey had a poor start lasting only 3.1 innings and putting the Mets in an early 6-0 hole against a Marlins team that just terrorizes the Mets. Normally, this would have been reason for the Mets fans to groan and start wondering if this Marlins teams is really better than the Mets. It would normally be cause to question whether the Mets offensive barrage of the Cubs was a fluke. It turns out it wasn’t a fluke.
The new Mets offense started chipping away. Travis d’Arnaud hit his first home run in the fourth. Curtis Granderson, back in his familiar leadoff spot for perhaps the last time, followed with a home run of his own in the fifth. Then a miracle truly happened. The Mets offense began scoring runs without hitting any more home runs. In the sixth, d’Arnaud had a bases loaded RBI infield single. Another run scored when Kelly Johnson hit into a double play. There was another rally in the seventh that saw a run score on a James Loney RBI ground out and a Wilmer Flores sacrifice fly. The Mets had gone from a six run deficit to a a tie game heading into the eighth inning. Naturally, Cespedes would be the one to put the Mets ahead for good by hitting a two run double off new Marlins reliever Fernando Rodney. It was the fourth largest comeback in Mets history.
Two weeks ago, that rally wouldn’t have been possible. The Mets offense wouldn’t have mustered up much of a fight. However, this Mets team has been different since that Cespedes’ home run into the Promenade Level – a home run that reached heights no other home run had reached at Citi Field. It was a home run that has helped the Mets offense reach heights it has not reached this season. It was a home run that may propel the entire Mets team to heights they have not seen in 30 years.
Editor’s Note: this was first published on metsmerizedonline.com
Before yesterday’s game about the only thing Edgardo Alfonzo and Wilmer Flores had in common was the fact that they were Venezuelan born Mets infielders. Other tha that, they could not be more different.
Fonzie was about as clutch a hitter the Mets have ever had. The reputation began in his first ever postseason at bat where he homered off Randy Johnson. In his second at bat, he hit a grand slam off Bobby Chouinard. It was part of an NLDS that saw him hit three homers. The Mets needed each one of them as Mike Piazza was injured in that series.
Fonzie’s clutchness was part of what has made him the best second baseman in Mets history. In fact, as per WAR, he’s the seventh best Met ever over players like Piazz, Jose Reyes, and Keith Hernandez. Overall, Fonzie hit .282/.367/.445 with a 113 OPS+ as a Met. He was a Gold Glove caliber second baseman (even if he never won one) that was part of the Best Infield of All Time. Overall, he was a great Met that accomplished many great things.
One of them was going a perfect six for six with three homers, a double, six runs, and five RBI. No one expected Fonzie to match Fonzie’s August 30, 1999 performance. Of all the Mets you could imagine, you’d probably go through a lot of names before you come up with Wilmer Flores.
Wilmer Flores etches his name in @Mets history with 6-hit performance.https://t.co/vRXSCzkIhP #MLBmemorybankhttps://t.co/1rirM2rdMV
— MLB (@MLB) July 4, 2016
In his short career, Flores has been known as the guy who was miscast as a shortstop. The Mets have told fans about his offensive potential, but he’s still only a career .249/.288/.379 hitter with an 85 OPS+. He’s only playing everyday now because of David Wright‘s discectomy and fusion. In fact, most of Flores’ career has been forgettable except for the time he cried on the field:
The only real highlight had been his home run after the deal sending him and Zack Wheeler for Carlos Gomez fell through:
Flores has another highlight now with his 6-6, three run, four RBI, two home run performance. It was a moment that all could appreciate, even Fonzie:
Really cool: Edgardo Alfonzo just called to congratulate Wilmer Flores on joining him in the 6-for-6 club. #Mets
— Anthony DiComo (@AnthonyDiComo) July 3, 2016
It might’ve been unlikely for Fonzie to do it, which makes it next to impossible for Flores to do it. And yet, Flores did do it. Flores had found his way into Mets fans’ hearts when he didn’t want to leave. He is now forever in the record books.
Normally, I’m much more in tune with a Mets game than I was last night. Generally speaking, no matter where I am, I’m getting play-by-play someway, somehow. I didn’t last night because I was at the Brooklyn Cyclones game with my family, and courtesy of Nicco Blank, we had great seats:
Being that close, especially with an active toddler, we had to be on high alert foul balls in the stands:
Courtesy of Blake Tiberi.
In any event, by the time we got to the car, I knew little about the game. I knew Bartolo Colon started the game. I knew Neil Walker hit a two run homer. I knew the Mets were up 4-3. I was just fuzzy on the rest of the who, what, where, when, or why about the other five runs that scored.
There was another thing I knew. Jeurys Familia was going to close it out.
So far this year, Familia is a perfect 28 for 28 in save chances. He has a career 2.49 ERA, 1.182 WHIP, and an 8.9 K/9. He has a career 149 ERA+. He’s consistent. He’s durable. He’s the best closer in the National League, and he’s amongst the best in baseball. As a fan, he’s a closer that gives you confidence. That’s a rare feeling for Mets fans.
Sure, John Franco usually got the job done as evidenced by his 424 career saves. That’s the most for a lefty closer. That’s also 424 times he gave some poor Mets fan a heart attack for his Houdini acts.
He was supplanted by Armando Benitez. Benitez was as dominant as they come unless he was facing Pat Burrell, Paul O’Neill, the Braves, or any team in the Month of September or October.
Billy Wagner was tremendous until he faced the immortal So Taguchi. Jesse Orosco and Roger McDowell were a bit before my time.
About the only closer I can come up with during my time I had any confidence in was Randy Myers. Back in 1988 and 1989, he was great as the Mets closer. You had confidence when he took the mound. It was the opposite feeling when the Mets brought in Franco to start the 1990 season as the closer. It began a 14 year high wire act that was followed with the Benitez’s and the Braden Looper‘s of the world.
It’s been 18 years since the Mets had a closer they can trust not to give everyone a minor stroke when they take the mound. Familia is different than his predecessors. When Familia enters the game in a save situation, he’s getting the save. He typically does it without giving you a heart attack. When he enters the game, you know he’s converting the save.
It’s about the one thing I knew for certain about the Mets game yesterday.
In many ways it is fitting that James Loney was assigned the number 28 by the Mets. Loney is a left-handed contact hitter that has been pressed into action at first base by the Mets due to an injury. Throughout their careers, Loney and Daniel Murphy have been very similar hitters.
Coming into this season, Loney was a career .285/.338/.411 hitter who averaged 25 doubles and 10 homeruns. Murphy was a career .288/.331/.424 hitter who averaged 33 doubles and nine homeruns. The similarities do not end at the statistics. If you look at their stances and the approach at the plate, Loney and Murphy are very similar hitters. Here is a James Loney 2014 at bat:
As you can see, Loney stands fairly upright in his stance with his hands held high. Loney stands a little off the plate with a somewhat open stance. Here is a 2013 Daniel Murphy at bat:
Again, Murphy is fairly upright at the plate with his hands held high. He’s a little off the plate with a slightly open stance. Loney’s and Murphy’s stances are not identical, but they are very similar. Unsurprisingly, both had similar approaches at the plate. Both pulled inside pitches with some authority, but they would go the other way with outside pitches just hoping they would find a place to land.
Last year, Murphy linked up with Kevin Long, who has a reputation for unlocking player’s hidden power. Here is a look at Murphy’s updated stance from the 2015 postseason:
Murphy’s stance is now closed, and he’s in more of a crouch at the plate. The results have been terrific as Murphy has been hitting for more power. This year Murphy has been hitting .351/.394/.588 with 20 doubles and 14 home runs. The 14 home runs tie Murphy’s career high, and there is still more than half a season to play.
Kevin Long has now made similar adjustments to Loney’s stance. Here is one of his at bats from his short tenure with the Mets:
Now, the crouch in Loney’s stance is not as pronounced as Murphy’s. However, a crouch is still present, and Loney has closed his stance. From the looks of it, it appears that Kevin Long has applied to same principles he used with Daniel Murphy last year. So far, Loney appears to be hitting the ball with more authority when he makes contact.
The result is Loney hitting .297/.345/.495 with eight doubles and four homers. He hasn’t had a slugging percentage anywhere near this high since 2007.
Long has unlocked the power in Loney’s swing like he did with Murphy last year makes Loney is the perfect stopgap for Lucas Duda. If he keeps it up, the Mets are going to have to keep him on the roster and play him somewhere.
Editor’s Note: this was also published on metsmerizedonline.com
Mother Nature provided the rain, but it was the Mets bats that provided the thunder. The Mets hit five home runs within the first five innings going ahead 10-1.
It started in the second inning with James Loney and Asdrubal Cabrera going back-to-back off Cubs starter Jason Hammel. Cabrera would hit another homer off Hamel in the fifth. That would be the second homer in the inning. The first was a Yoenis Cespedes laser shot. Cespedes needed to hit that homer as Brandon Nimmo hit a home run in the fourth inning that was one foot farther than Cespedes’ shot yesterday:
.@You_Found_Nimmo will remember this one forever. His 1st career homer was crushed into the bullpen. #Mets #LGM pic.twitter.com/PXtfed68Bv
— New York Mets (@Mets) July 2, 2016
It was Nimmo’s first career home run and curtain call. He followed it up by making a nice defensive play in the fifth:
It was a terrific night for Nimmo and the Mets.
By the way, since I do point this out when it happens
Brandon Nimmo: 410th player in Mets history to hit a HR, has as many as Bartolo Colón
— Mark Simon (@MarkASimonSays) July 2, 2016
The beneficiary of all these runs was Jacob deGrom. It was about time the Mets scored some runs for him too. The Mets had not given him more than two runs of support since May 27th. He’s had the fourth worst run support in the majors this year with the Mets scoring 2.89 runs per game for him (Matt Harvey has the second least with 2.79).
deGrom would finally get his first win since April 30th. His ability to get this win was in doubt as there was a rain delay for over an hour before the third inning. Terry Collins sent him out there anyway, and deGrom lasted five innings allowing three hits, one earned, and one walk with seven strikeouts. The lone run he allowed was a solo home run off the bat of Kris Bryant. It’s possible deGrom could’ve gone more than five as he was only up to 85 pitches. However, once there was another rain delay in the sixth, the third one of the game, deGrom was done for the night.
Needless to say, deGrom pitched much better out of the delay than Hammel did. The Mets pummeled Hammel in this 10-2 win like they did in Game 4 of the NLCS.
Game Notes: Loney was 3-4 with two runs, three RBI, a double, and a homer. He was a triple short of a cycle. He actually hit one this year. It was a June 18th game against the Braves. Seth Lugo made his major league debut in the eighth inning wearing number 67. He became the first Met to ever wear that number. Lugo got it up to 97 MPH showing real promise out of the pen. He pitched two scoreless innings allowing two singles, a HBP, and striking out a batter. He also had his first balk falling off the mound before delivering a pitch.
David Wright attended his second straight game. For safety reasons, he watched the game from the bullpen.
After getting swept by the Nationals, the Mets feel six games back in the National League East. The offense has been completely inept averaging 3.2 runs per game. The Mets went 11-15 over the course of the month despite playing only eight games against teams with a winning record. Both Noah Syndergaard and Steven Matz are dealing with bone spurs in their elbows. These days you’d be hard pressed to find a Mets fan that has any hope that the Mets could return to the postseason.
Lost in all of this is the fact that the Mets are only a half a game back in the Wild Card Standings.
Even if you assume the National League East is out of reach (it isn’t), the Mets are in the thick of a pennant race. Better yet, they are going up against the Dodgers, Marlins, and Cardinals. In order to make the postseason, the Mets need only beat out two of those teams. Each of the three teams the Mets are competing with are flawed teams with real problems.
St. Louis Cardinals
Outside of Carlos Martinez, the Cardinals rotation is struggling. Their other four starters have ERAs 4.09 and above, and ERA+s of 1o1 and below. To be at the point they are, they have had to rely on what has been a pretty good bullpen. With that said, their closer, Trevor Rosenthal, is having a horrible season with a 5.19 ERA.
Offensively, the team has a black hole in center field. It has come to the point where they are trying Kolten Wong out there. This is the same Wong the Cardinals had sent down for his inability to produce at second base. The Cardinals were able to move Wong to center because Jhonny Peralta finally came off the disabled list. Peralta is now the third baseman, but he is not hitting after returning from the disabled list.
On top of all of these problems, the Cardinals finish the season with 10 of their final 20 games against the Cubs and the Giants.
Miami Marlins
Barry Bonds has certainly had an impact on this team as seemingly not named Giancarlo Stanton is having a good season offensively. Stanton’s production is troublesome for the Marlins as he is not the same player for the Marlins a year after wrist surgery. Fact is, the Marlins need him as their starting pitching hasn’t been very good outside of Jose Fernandez.
The Marlins really don’t have a viable fifth starter. In reality, they don’t have much of a rotation past Fernandez. Adam Conley is their second best starter, and he is 4-5 with a 1.357 WHIP. The other rotation options have ERAs of 4.45 and above. With a rotation like that, it should come as no surprise that the Marlins are performing above expectations as they have both allowed and scored 326 runs. If the rotation continues to drag down this offense, we can reasonably expect this Marlins team to trek back towards the .500 mark.
In the event they are able to hang in the race, the Marlins are going to have to earn their way into the postseason with nine of their last 13 games coming against the Mets and the Nationals.
Los Angeles Dodgers
The Dodgers are currently leading the Wild Card race with a 43-37 record. That record is mostly driven by the greatness of Clayton Kershaw.
This season Kershaw is 11-2 with a 1.79 ERA and a 0.727 WHIP. Name the pitching catergory, and you can rest assured that Kershaw is probably leading it. In games that Kershaw pitches, the Dodgers are 14-2 in games that Kershaw starts. If you removed Kershaw from the Dodgers rotation, the Dodgers would be 29-35 this year. That is not a team that would be in the thick of the Wild Card race let alone leading it.
Normally, that type of analysis is done to show why a pitcher like Kershaw should win the Cy Young and/or MVP awards. It is not done as an example to show why his team will not make the postseason. Yet, that’s the position the Dodgers are facing. Kershaw has been having back problems recently. He has received an epidural injection, and he is on the 15 day disabled list. As Mets fans have seen over the past few seasons, back injuries are funny things. Once it starts acting up, you do not really know when a player can returns.
With that in mind, we really don’t have an answer to the Cardinals, Marlins, or Dodgers question marks. As Mets fans, we become myopic in how we assess the Mets chances of making it back to the postseason. Day in and day out, we see the Mets put out a poor offense and begin to believe the Mets aren’t going anywhere. However, when you take a step back and look out over the National League landscape, the Mets are competing against other flawed teams for those two Wild Card spots.
Overall, despite the Mets recent struggles, this can still be a postseason team. As we saw last year, with the Mets pitching, the team just has to get there. Seeing the competition, they very well can.
The Mets came into June only two games behind the Nationaks. After finishing having a 12-15 record in June and having been swept by the Nationals last week, the Mets now find themselves six games back, and the offensive problems of old has returned.
Bear in mind, these grades are on a curve. If a bench player gets an A and a position player gets a B, it doesn’t mean the bench player is having a better year. Rather, it means the bench player is performing better in his role.
Position Players
Travis d’Arnaud (C-). He hasn’t hit since he’s come off the disabled list, and while he has been throwing better, he did allow the Nationals to go a perfect six for six in stolen base attempts. He did get extra credit for being anyone other than what the Mets have been trotting out there behind the plate this year.
Kevin Plawecki (F). June was probably his worst month as a professional and that is saying something. With d’Arnaud finally healthy, sending him down to the minors was a no-brainer.
Rene Rivera (C-). Like he’s done this year, he’s hit poorly while being a stabilizing force behind the plate However, as he’s been relied upon more and more, his poor offense became more of a problem hence the reduction from his grade last year.
Lucas Duda (Inc). He missed the entire month with his back injuries, and he has not yet begun baseball activities.
James Loney (A). Loney has not put up offensive stats this good since 2008. Even with his sometimes poor range, he has been a tremendous stop gap at first base while Duda has been injured.
Neil Walker (F). He hit .213/.293/.275 with one homer and six RBI. That is a far cry from his nine home run April.
David Wright (Inc.) He didn’t play as he had neck surgery.
Asdrubal Cabrera (D). He’s hitting .237/.308/.423 in June, and the defensive metrics suggest he’s played a poor defensive shortstop.
Wilmer Flores (A-). He came off the disabled list, and he had the best offensive month of his career hitting .306/.370/.444. This would have been a higher grade if not for his struggles defensively.
Eric Campbell (Inc.) At least the Mets didn’t play him in June.
Matt Reynolds (A). Reynolds might’ve struggled in his first call-up, but he is making the most out of his most recent opportunity hitting .296/.321/.556. He has shown some versatility by playing his first ever game in ht eoutfield. In that game, he hit a game winning home run.
Ty Kelly (F). He hit .133/.188/.333. He simply hasn’t been good.
Michael Conforto (F). Whether it was the wrist or another issue, Conforto just hasn’t been getting it done. He all but forced the Mets to demote him.
Yoenis Cespedes (B+). With his home run numbers are down (3) and while the defensive metrics don’t love his defense in center field, he still put up terrific numbers while playing through some minor injuries here and there.
Curtis Granderson (B). Granderson had a good month after a horrendous May hitting .255/.358/.447 with four homers.
Juan Lagares (A). In limited action, he continued to play Gold Glove caliber defense while hitting .364/.462/.545. However, he was only limited to seven games as he’s dealing with a torn ligament in his left thumb. He’s currently on a rehab assignment.
Alejandro De Aza (F-). He’s terrible.
Brandon Nimmo (Inc.) He has only played in four games. He has had some issues with his routes, but he has not looked over-matched at the plate.
Pitchers
Matt Harvey (B). Harvey had his best month of the season by far. His 2.83 ERA over the course of the month was his best of the season, but it is still high for him. Even with him pitching better, he was still 0-3 over the course of the month.
Jacob deGrom (B+). Like Harvey, deGrom had a much better month. He had a 2.45 ERA over the course of the month while getting his fastball velocity to return. Again, like Harvey, even with him pitching better, he was 0-3 over the course of the month.
Noah Syndergaard (B). Syndergaard had some trouble with location in his last two starts, and he had his worst start of the season in what was a big June game against the Nationals. In that game, when he was paired with d’Arnaud instead of Rivera, base runners were a perfect five for five in stolen base attempts. Overall, he was 3-1 with a 3.86 ERA over the course of the month.
Steven Matz (F). He was terrible all month going 0-2 with an ERA of 5.91 heading into last night’s gritty start. Much of the trouble was the result of bone spurs, but you’re ultimsteky judged on your results.
Bartolo Colon (A+). Colon had his best ever month as a Met going 2-1 with a 1.67 ERA.
Logan Verrett (C-). He had a tough month with a 5.93 ERA, but he did make a good spot start that gave the Mets a chance go win and helped save the bullpen.
Jeurys Familia (A+) The Houdini Act against the Cubs shows why he just might be the best closer in the game.
Addison Reed (B). Reed came back down to earth a bit, but he has still been a terrific eighth inning reliever for the Mets.
Jim Henderson (D). He had a rough month with a 5.63 ERA in eight appearances. He was just overworked, and now, he’s on the DL with an injury to his twice surgically repaired shoulder.
Hansel Robles (A+). Robles saved the Mets time and time again this month. He bailed out starters and the bullpen when starters went short in the game. He got big outs all month long.
Jerry Blevins (B). He continues to go out there and get lefties out. With the bullpen getting extra work, he’s been stretched out a little too much here and there, but he still gets the big lefties out.
Antonio Bastardo (F). 6.35 ERA for the month, and he might not have even been that good.
Rafael Montero (Inc.) Didn’t pitch in the majors in June as he’s been terrible in AAA.
Sean Gilmartin (F). He was jerked back and forth between being a starter in AAA and a reliever in the majors. Something had to break and it was Gilmartin with his 15.75 ERA.
Erik Goeddel (A). He got a chance with Henderson’s injury, and he took full advantage with a win last night and a 1.08 ERA.
Terry Collins (F). He was hamstrung by a team with injuries. The players that were here under-performed. Collins met that challenge by overplaying De Aza and with other curious lineup decisions. He pitched Henderson onto the DL, dangerously overused Robles, and he was part of team brass that talked Matz out of getting surgery.
All Star voting came to a close yesterday, and based upon the voting results over the course of the season, it looks like Yoenis Cespedes is about to become the sixth Mets outfielder to ever start an All Star Game. Can you name the other five? Good luck!
It looked like more of the same for the Mets. Steven Matz allowed a first inning two run home run to Kris Bryant and a solo shot to Javier Baez in the sixth. The Mets were down 3-0 and didn’t seem to have a chance. It was the same old dreary Mets offense. In the bottom of the sixth, Yoenis Cespedes woke everyone up:
The 441 foot shot was the longest in Citi Field history and first into the Promemade Level. It was shades of Tommie Agee.
The Mets looked like a different team after that. Travis d’Arnaud got it started with a one out single off Cubs starter John Lackey. Then a minor miracle happened when Alejandro De Aza worked out a walk against Cubs reliever Joel Peralta. Then Brandon Nimmo had the at bat of the night.
Nimmo was quickly down 1-2 in the count. He would foul off three straight pitches, and he would hit an RBI single on the ninth pitch of the at bat. It narrowed the score to 3-2. He alertly moved to second when center fielder Albert Amora tried to get De Aza at third.
Joe Maddon then went to Pedro Strop to pitch to Neil Walker. Strop quickly went ahead in the count 0-2, and the Cubs pulled the infield in. Walker then hit a hooper at second baseman Baez who had no shot at getting De Aza at home. He tried to get Nimmo at third, but he threw it wild.
Nimmo then scored to make it 4-3. It was a comeback the likes of which the Mets have not made in quite a while.
In the eighth, MLB history was made when Addison Reed pitched to Addison Russell. Russell won the first ever battle of the Addisons by walking. It set up runners at first and second with two outs. Maddon sent up Jason Heyward to pinch hit, and Terry Collins countered with Jerry Blevins. Blevins got Heyward to tap one back to Blevins to end the inning.
Jeurys Familia recorded his 27th straight save this year to secure the 4-3 win. This one wasn’t easy. Ben Zobrist hit a double to make it second a third with no outs. Familia struck out Bryant, and then intentionally walked Anthony Rizzo to face rookie catcher Willson Contreras. Familia struck out the overmatched Contreras. Baez popped it up to end what was a tremendous save by Familia and win for the Mets.
The Mets took the first game of a four game set against the Cubs. By the way, last year’s NLCS was also a four game set.
Game Notes: Matz showed his frustration out there a few times, most notably when Lackey buzzed him on a sac bunt attempt. He also threw his glove after the Baez homer. Erik Goeddel earned the win after pitching 1.2 scoreless innings.