deGrom, Alonso, Conforto Lead Charge Blowing Out Braves
If you’re going to call a team meeting and shake things up, you do it on the day Jacob deGrom pitches. After all, at a minimum, you know you’re getting a very well pitched game.
But it’s more than that. This Mets team had continued to fight despite gut wrench loss after gut wrenching loss. All they needed was some sort of spark to put it all together. Tonight, they got it in the form of deGrom, Pete Alonso, and Michael Conforto.
Even Mets killer Julio Teheran couldn’t stop this team tonight.
Alonso’s first inning double off Teheran went for naught, but you wouldn’t say the same of his third inning double. That one would plate Jeff McNeil. Conforto would follow with a double of his own. These were part of a four run inning and six doubles hit by the Mets on the night.
At 4-0 in the third, the game was effectively over because deGrom was great. Cy Young caliber deGrom great. Through eight, he’d shut out the Braves while allowing three hits and striking out 10.
Things were so good for deGrom and the Mets, deGrom had five plate appearances, and he’d have one of the six Mets doubles.
Alonso had hit first career four hit game, and he’d walk twice putting him on base safely SIX times. Three of his hits went for extra bases including another mammoth homer:
Pete was tired of keeping them in the ballpark. ❄️?
VOTE: https://t.co/2yw991wn5N pic.twitter.com/n35tt99NG7
— New York Mets (@Mets) June 19, 2019
He wasn’t the other one to hit a big homer on the night. We’d also see Conforto and McNeil collect homers.
In addition to those three All Star caliber Mets, Todd Frazier knocked in a couple of runs including a bases loaded walk. Robinson Cano had an RBI double. Every starter had a hit, and the Mets returned the favor from yesterday with their own blowout.
The only downside was deGrom couldn’t finish off the shutout. Of course, it was Freddie Freeman who ruined it with a homer. A Josh Donaldson homer pulled the Braves to within 10-2, and it chased deGrom after 8.1 innings.
For some reason, Robert Gsellman was the guy picked to mop this up. He did the job, and suddenly, even if for a night, the Mets season was still alive.
Game Notes: Jeurys Familia was placed on the IL, and Drew Gagnon was designated for assignment. In their place, Stephen Nogosek and Daniel Zamora were called up to help fix the beleaguered bullpen.
This was a nice cleanse after last night disgusting beat down by the Braves the Mets responded with their own barrage tonight. It was refreshing to see the Mets beat up on Teheran, who even in his worst years owned the Mets.
The top of the lineup did much of the damage as Alonso had three extra base hits and had a 4th taken away from him by a terrific play by Donaldson and Alonso just lit up statcast all night long getting on base six times. McNeil set the table and even hitting a bomb of his own and even stealing a base earlier in the game. Conforto hit a big double and his homer was just a absolute shot that went to the chop house. Cano had some good st bats as well and in his three games back has looked like his good self.
DeGrom was a monster today facing the best offense he’s faced all year and he ate their hitters up by dominating them with an array of filthy sliders, changeups(the best the pitch has been this year), and his fast ball was just explosive dotting the inside corner all night long and pitching inside very effectively. I don’t know why Mickey allowed him to throw 115 pitches in a blow out just another bit of idiocy from Mickey as was bringing in Gsellman instead of letting Nogosek get his feet wet I mean just stupid. It was the perfect spot to get Nogosek in to start the ninth and save some of deGrom’s bullets so ridiculous.
All in all other than Mickey’s stupidity annoying me it was a fun games to see deGrom dominant and the Mets three young stars in Alonso, McNeil and Conforto kill it. I’m not all that confident in Matz tomorrow but let’s bask in today’s win.
I had no issue with deGrom trying for the CGSO. He wasn’t going to be extended in his pitch count, and it seemed so matter to him. Keeping your ace happy is important.
Other than that, not using Nogosek or Flexen was a huge mistake.
I only thought to take deGrom out when his fastball would not top 97.
That was the first batter I noticed in the top of the ninth.
If Jake says he feels good and wants to start the ninth… why assume that Callaway is stupid? Only I f it was a pitch count was over 115 to start the inming?
The hitters : I am really impressed with much more plate discipline I am seeing in every direction, then hitting away from shifts, no shame in bloop hits etc.
I would like to se this in a far bigger sample and with a fastball coming at them at 96-98.
Against a good bullpen.
Remember, Blevins shut them down yesterday,
deGrom was only at 102 entering the ninth. He left at 113. That’s well within his normal workload.
I think there’s too much hysteria over a justified decision.
Nice win, good game from deGrom, and great to see Alonso tear it up. 6 for 6 !!
Gsellman hadn’t pitched since the 15th, but the pace Callaway had him on prior to the 10-2 win was something like 70 appearances and 87 innings, a pace most pitchers don’t survive, That pace and Gsellman’s response to it last year and this, strongly suggested keeping him on the bench to get continued rest. He has not thrived on overuse, and as the most used pitcher on the Mets should sit whenever possible.
Like sending Vargas out for 117 pitches in a 7-0 shutout, not figuring out Nimmo needed to sit or IL when his production plummeted after an injury, or having Ramos on pace to play 146 games, it’s simply irrational. Sadly, that’s what Mickey does, though. Either he’s ordered to do so by the FO and he complies, or he disagrees but lacks the persuasiveness to convince them of the price of this sort of foolishness.
I can’t pin Nimmo on Mickey. That comes from above. As for Gsellman, I wouldn’t have used him. That was a spot for someone to get their feet wet.
I like the HRs by Cano, then tonight Conforto and McNeil off Tomlin.
Cano was on a 91 FB and tonight it was Josh Tomlin.
Tomlin as a reliever has a HRA of practically 3.00.
That is three HRs per nine innngs (since last year)
It is a long grind ahead but tonight feels great!
I feel so much better about this team after last night.