Game Recap

It Wasn’t Easy, But It Was a Grandy Win

It doesn’t matter that the Twins are one if the worst teams in baseball. When you’re fighting for a postseason spot, the games are going to be tough. Tonight, the Twins showed a lot of fight. It certainly helped them that they were sending their ace, Ervin Santana, to the mound. 

And you know with him being a former Brave, he’s pitches well against the Mets. That’s exactly what happened tonight. 

The Mets did absolutely nothing against Santana for the first four innings. T.J. Rivera got things started with a single, and he moved to second on a balk. Because Paul Molitor apparently had no idea James Loney isn’t good, he ordered an intentional walk. It wouldn’t burn the Twins. First, Rene Rivera struck out. Then, Terry Collins gambled a bit pinch hitting Kelly Johnson for the starter Seth Lugo. Johnson popped out to end the inning. 

It also closed the door on Lugo. It was the typical bend but don’t break Lugo outing where he found an extra gear on his fastball and three more curves when he was in trouble. The only run the Twins were able to score off of him was an Eddie Rosaro solo homer in the fourth. 

Lugo’s final line would be five innings, four hits, one run, one earned, four walks, and two strikeouts. 

The Mets had a chance to get Lugo off the hook in the seventh. T.J. got the rally sterted with a cue shot double down the first baseline followed by another inexplicable intentional walk to Loney. Alejandro De Aza pinch hit for Rene and walked to load the bases. Terry Collins then made two strange decisions. 

The second, but most puzzling, was his waiting for a pitch to be thrown before having Ty Kelly pinch run for Loney. The other curious decision was going to Michael Conforto to pinch hit. It was strange because Conforto has been idle for too long and because he’s been uncomfortable pinch hitting. Furthermore, the Mets activated Lucas Duda just for spots like this. Collins went with Conforto, who had a bad at bat striking out on four pitches. 

The bad news was the Mets missed out on another huge scoring opportunity. The good news was Santana was done for the night. 

Jose Reyes gave a rude welcome to Twins reliever Ryan Pressly by hitting the first pitch by Pressly for a single. Reyes would quickly find himself on second after a wild pitch and an Asdrubal Cabrera groundout. With the game on the line, Yoenis Cespedes was at the plate with a 3-2 count, and he would lunge at a ball off the plate:

Of course, he came through in that spot tying the game at one. Molitor went to his left in the pen Taylor Rogers. Rogers would make quick work of the two lefties Collins was so nice to stack in the middle of the lineup, Curtis Granderson and Jay Bruce. By the way, Bruce, the man Collins has the utmost confidence, was 0-5 with a strikeout. 

The game would go into extras as:

Lost with the Mets practically emptying their bench was terrific work out of the bullpen. Josh Smoker, Fernando Salas, Jerry Blevins, Addison Reed, Jeurys Familia, and Hansel Robles combined to pitch five shutout innings allowing only three hits and one walk with striking out eight. 

However, they wouldn’t get a sixth shutout inning.  Byron Buxton would hit a long home run off Robles to give the Twins a 2-1 lead in the 11th. It wasn’t a bad pitch, and it shows why people think Buxton is going to be a great player. None if that matters. 

What matters is Granderson led off the bottom of the 11th with an opposite field home run to tie the game at two. 

After Granderson’s homer, and the obligatory Bruce out, the Mets, sorry, Las Vegas 51s, continued the rally.  T.J. and Brandon Nimmo hit back-to-back singles.  Kevin Plawecki almost ended the game. However, instead of his liner going into center, it hit the pitcher leading to the fielder’s choice. It put the game in Matt Reynolds hands. After fouling a ball off his foot, Reynolds was hit by a pitch to load the bases. 

Reyes worked out a nine pitch at bat, but he would strike out looking ending the inning and sending the game into the 12th. 

Granderson once again hit the huge extra inning home run.

This one was a game winner – off a lefty to boot. It was the first time in Mets history a Mets player hit a game tying and game winning home run in extra innings. 

With that, the Mets won a tough game and will make up ground on someone tonight. 

Game Notes: Granderson’s homers wrre the Mets’ 200th & 201st of the season, which is the new Mets single season record. 

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Classic Bart 

If not for back-to-back homers by Jose Reyes and Asdrubal Cabrera in the third, this game would have had a completely different feel to it. 

Cabrera’s home run was his 20th of the season breaking Reyes’ single season Mets record for homers by a shortstop. 

Instead the Mets had a 2-0 lead allowing everyone to comfortably watch Bartolo Colon do his thing. 

It the first, he pounced off the mound to grab a Jorge Polanco grounder to start an inning ending 6-4-3 double play. 

In the fourth, after Yoenis Cespedes dropped a line drive off the bat of Max Kepler, Colon would pick him off of first.

In the bottom of the inning, he struck out bunting with runners on first and third. It wasn’t a suicide squeeze, but man that would’ve been fun to see. Overall, Colon earned his 14th win pitching seven innings allowing only three hits and walking two while striking out six. 

In the seventh, the Mets got some breathing room. Alejandro De Aza lead off the inning with a pinch hit single, and he would move to second when Cabrera drew a walk. De Aza would score easily on a Cespedes single right through the originator. That 3-0 lead was more than enough for Addison Reed and Jeurys Familia. 

It was Familia’s 49th save of the season which ties the single season record held by Jose Valverde for most saves by a Dominican born pitcher. 

This win and Colon’s performance overshadowed some pretty ugly performances by some struggling players. Jay Bruce was 0-3 with a walk and a strikeout leaving two men on base. Travis d’Arnaud was 0-4 with a strikeout leaving three men on base. However, even with these struggling players, a win is a win. 

With the win, the Mets are assured of gaining ground on someone as the Giants and Cardinals play later tonight. 

Game Notes: With news of Lucas Duda being activated tomorrow, James Loney had his best game in quite some time going 2-4 with a hustle double and a terrific diving play. Matt Reynolds came on to play shortstop in the ninth as Cabrera had a leg issue (not his injured knee). Juan Lagares was activated before the game but did not play. 

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Mets Lost This Game in the First

The obvious answer to when a team loses a game is after they have recorded their 27th out. It’s also the technically correct answer. However, there are moments within a game, the proverbial turning points, when a team really loses the game. 

With respect to today’s game against the Nationals, many will pinpoint the moment Wilson Ramos hit a solo home run off Fernando Salas in the bottom of the seventh. It would be the only run scored in the game. The reason it was the only run scored on the game was because the Mets offense wasted a chance to put a crooked number on the board in the first inning. 

Jose Reyes and Asdrubal Cabrera led off the game with back-to-back singles off Tanner Roark. Curtis Granderson then drew a one out walk to load the bases. Then Jay Bruce stepped up to the plate. Bruce was brought to the Mets exactly for moments like this. He’s a “proven run producer.”  Bruce struck out on three straight pitches. 
After T.J. Rivera fouled out, the rally was over. From that point forward, the Mets would only get one more hit. It was important to get a hit there because Roark entered the game with a career 2.76 ERA against the Mets having never allowed more than two earned runs against them in any appearance. Their chance to win the game was right then and there, and they blew it. 

It also spoiled a terrific effort by Robert Gsellman. The Gazelle shut out the Nationals over 5.2 innings only allowing five hits and one walk with four strikeouts. It was probably the best he looked in his short time in the majors. 

He got into a little trouble in the sixth. He allowed a leadoff single to Roark, and Roark would advance on a wild pitch. At that point, even with two outs, Terry Collins wasn’t messing around with Daniel Murphy coming to the plate. 

Not only did Collins bring in Josh Smoker, he ordered Smoker to intentionally walk Murphy. Smoker then caught Bryce Harper looking to get out of the jam. 

Instead of this spurring the Mets to victory, it just delayed the inevitable. The Mets never threatened after the first losing the game. With it, the Mets lost the chance to go to 10 games over .500, and they missed the chance to leap to the top of the Wild Card standings. 

Game Notes: In going 1-2, Murphy has gotten a hit in all 19 games against the Mets this season. The Nationals were 12-7 against the Mets this year after going 8-11 last year. Rene Rivera threw out two base stealers to complete strike ’em out-throw ’em out double plays. 

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T.J. Rivera Had the Game of His Life

When perusing the lineup, it was surprising to see T.J. Rivera‘s name in the lineup instead of Kelly Johnson with the right hander starting. Rivera would justify Collins’ faith in him going 3-4 with his first major league homer and three RBI. He would also rob Daniel Murphy of a base hit with a nice play in the first. 

Things had started out well with Noah Syndergaard on the mound. Tonight, he continued to make his Cy Young case in striking out his 200th batter of the season and dominating the Nationals. 

Thor’a final line was seven innings, four hits, one run, one earned, one walk, and 10 strikeouts. He had his dominant stuff working throwing his hardest slider in the second half. 

The only run he allowed was off a Wilson Ramos opposite field double. Ramos only had a chance to hit it as Thor took a little off his fastball there. It was thrown at 98 MPH. 

Aside from that double, Thor had everything working. He wouldn’t get the win because the Mets couldn’t generate enough offense. 

Asdrubal Cabrera continued his second half tear. He doubled in his first two at bats, and even on a hobbled knee, he would steal third after each double. It was heads up base running as he took advantage of the Nationals shifting with Curtis Granderson at the plate. 
In true Mets fashion, they would strand him there in the first.  However, in the third, T.J. Rivera took advantage of the RBI opportunity much in the same way he’s taken advantage of every opportunity he’s ever been given by this Mets organization. Rivera’s RBI single would tie the score at one. Rivera would be heard from again. 

In the fifth, Yoenis Cespedes would start the game winning rally with a single off Nationals starter A.J. Cole. Granderson brought him home with an RBI triple. Rivera then brought him home with a sacrifice fly. 

With the seven innings from Thor, and the two run lead, the game was effectively over. Addison Reed pitched a scoreless eighth, putting Jeurys Familia in position to recorded his 49th save of the season to tie Jose Valverde for the most saves in a single season by a Dominican born pitcher.

It didn’t happen as Familia was abandoned by his defense. 

Murphy just beat out an infield base hit bringing Bryce Harper to the plate. Familia did his job getting Harper to ground to Jose Reyes. With no play at second on Murphy, Reyes went to first throwing wide of the bag. James Loney, who never stretches, also apparently never comes off the bag. 

Instead of Murphy and second with one out, the Nationals had runners on second and third with no outs. Anthony Rendon hit a single past the diving Reyes. On the play, Reyes did not show much range. The Nationals then tied the game on a Ramos infield single. 

At this point, the wheels were unravelling, and it appeared to be a near certainty the Mets were going to lose. There were runners on first and second with no outs. Familia bore down. He first got Ryan Zimmerman to hit a weak liner to Loney. Clint Robinson then hit a sinking line drive to Rivera, who nabbed it just before it hit the dirt. Not taking chances, he flipped to Rivera for a 4-6-3 double play. 

The game was tied at three making it a brand new ballgame. Rivera would untie it in the 10th with his first career home run off Mark Melancon.

It put the capper on what was a terrific game for the undrafted Rivera. Tonight, he showed everyone the guile and talent that took him from non-prospect status to an important contributor for a playoff team. 

Fernando Salas then came on to close it out in the bottom of the 10th. One of the reasons why he the Mets got him was his closing experience. He got so close too by making quick work of the first two batters.  However, Jayson Werth would bloop one in, and Terry Collins wouldn’t take any chances. 

Collins went to the former National Jerry Blevins to get the former Met Murphy. For what it’s worth, Murphy has trouble with Blevins:

Blevins would then get a huge strikeout of Murphy recording his first save as a Met giving the Mets a 4-3 victory. 

With that, the Mets get back in the win column and have a chance to get some breathing room in the Wild Card race with the Cardinals currently losing. 

Game Notes: Wilmer Flores is still unable to go with a neck injury. 

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Rafael Montero Was Rafael Montero

Pick your reason why the Mets lost this game. 

The first and obvious one was Rafael Montero. Montero’s final line was 1.2 innings, five hits, six runs, six earned, four walks, and two strikeouts. He probably wasn’t even that good either. 

The sequence that perfectly sums up the night Montero had, as well as his Mets career, was his walking Bryce Harper and Wilson Ramos with the bases loaded in the first inning. 

Remarkably, Collins saw those 37 pitches and thought, “I want to see more of that!” Actually, you know what, it wasn’t all that surprising. Collins passed over a chance to hit for him in the second inning so he could get two more outs out of Montero before going to a rested Gabriel Ynoa or Sean Gilmartin. They’d eventually come into the game along with the other long man Logan Verrett. 

For what it’s worth, Ynoa was roughed up as well pitching two innings allowing three hits, two runs, two earned, and two walks with one strikeout. 

If Jacob deGrom or Steven Matz cannot come back quickly, the Mets are in trouble because they cannot keep doing this three more times this season. They probably can’t afford to do this even one more time. 

Through Montero’s horrendous outing, you lose just how bad the Mets offense was.  It’s quite easy to forget the Mets had a 1-0 lead with Yoenis Cespedes hitting an RBI groundout to score Jose Reyes, who had led off the game with a double. After that, the Mets did nothing against Mat Latos and the Nationals bullpen. 

In fact, with Latos homering off Montero to lead off the second, he allowed as many runs as he knocked in. The only reason he didn’t get the win is he left the game early due to injury. 

The Mets didn’t deserve to win this one, and they didn’t look like a team that was fighting for a Wild Card. To rub salt in the wound, Daniel Murphy was 3-5 with a double. Meanwhile, Neil Walker is done for the season with back surgery, and no one knows when Wilmer Flores can play again. 

At least Kyle Hendricks took care of business against the Cardinals to keep the Mets a half game ahead of them in the Wild Card race. 

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Mets Should Kick Themselves for This Loss 

While the Mets should go out and beat this Braves team each time they face them, it’s unrealistic to expect them to go 19-0 against them. It’s the nature of baseball that a bad team can beat a good team on any given day. With that said, this is not a game the Mets should’ve lost. 

The Mets jumped on former farmhand John Gant immediately scoring two runs in the first. It was all the more impressive when you consider the Mets didn’t get a hit in the inning. Jose Reyes reached on a leadoff walk, and he would come around to score on consecutive Braves errors. One of those errors allowed Yoenis Cespedes to reach, and he would score the second run of the inning on a Jay Bruce groundout.  Yet another example of how Bruce is an RBI machine. 

Bartolo Colon would give the lead back on a night there was no lead he could hold. In the first, Matt Kemp hit a sacrifice fly scoring Ender Inciarte. If it was Cespedes or a healthy Juan Lagares in center, Inciarte still most likely scores, but it would’ve been more interesting than it was with Curtis Granderson, who really had no choice than to throw it back to second base. 

In the fourth, Nick Markakis would tie the score with a solo home run. 

The Mets would regain the lead on a Cespedes home run to dead center in the fifth. It should’ve been the game winner. Instead, Colon gave up a game tying home run to Kemp, who has been a pain in the neck at the plate (even if he’s been a blessing in the field). 

Right then and there, the Mets blew a game they should’ve won. 

The Mets did have a chance to win the game, but Terry Collins and Tim Teufel would make decisions that would help cost the Mets the game. 

In the eighth, Wilmer Flores hit a two out double. At the time, the Mets still had a pretty full bench, and a Gavin Cecchini who has still yet to appear in a game despite the Mets feeling completed to call him up. Perhaps, for all Collins knew Flores was faster than Cecchini or Brandon Nimmo for that matter. 

Still, the Mets decided to keep the lead footed Flores in the game, even with capable and arguably defenders in James Loney and Eric Campbell available. There was no reason to keep Flores in the game, and yet, there he was. 

T.J. Rivera would hit a pinch hit single to right field. Teufel would send Flores, who inexplicable slid head first into home plate. To add insult that was Markakis nailing Flores at the plate, Flores suffered an injury on the play and had to leave the game. 
With the game tied and heading into extras, Collins went through his bullpen piece by piece bringing in everyone but Jeurys Familia.  That’s what happens overworks his two best relievers AND when the manager manages to the save rule. 

That led to Collins going to Erik Goeddel in the tenth. Keep in mind, the Mets are fighting for a postseason berth, and Collins went to the worst reliever in his pen who has been idle for a whole. 

Of course, Goeddel would get into trouble and take the loss. Before he could blink, there were runners on first and third with one out. He’s strike out Tyler Flowers, and Collins would bring on Josh Smoker. Smoker would get Inciarte to fly out on a ball not deep enough to score the run, especially with it going to Cespedes. 

However, Smoker couldn’t get out of Goeddel’s jam. Adonis Garcia would single home Dansby Swanson to give the Braves the walk off 4-3 win. 

It was a game the Braves never should’ve won. It was a game the Mets decision making allowed them to win. With the Giants and Cardinals winning, it’s a game that pushed the Mets out of a Wild Card position. They should be kicking themselves for that. 

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Where There’s Smoker, Grandy’s on Fire

Given the pitching matchup and the location of today’s game, tonight’s game wasn’t a guarantee. That went double when you consider the game was at the Mets own House of Horrors in Turner Field that is thankfully closing at the end of the season. Before it closes, the Mets have some demons to exercise. They did just that tonight despite a slow start. 

The Mets had a chance to score off Julio Teheran in the first, but they couldn’t cash in. A Curtis Granderson walk loaded the bases with one out. However, the Mets wouldn’t score as Wilmer Flores hit into the inning ending 6-4-3 double play. It was a giant missed opportunity. 

Instead if having a lead, the Mets would soon trail in the game. Matt Kemp lead off the second with a solo home run off Robert Gsellman. 

The Braves would then expand on their 1-0 lead with a big fifth. Gsellman had almost navigated through a Dansby Swanson leadoff single.  He stood on third with two outs when Adonis Garcia singled him home. The Braves then proceeded to load the bases. Nick Markakis hit a two run single to right to give the Braves a 4-0 lead. Once again the tales of Jay Bruce‘s arm were greatly exaggerated. 

In reality, the main difference between this Gsellman start and his others was the Braves took advantage of their opportunities. In Gsellman’s short career, he has consistently played with fire. Tonight, he got burned. 

The Mets would begin the comeback in the sixth. Yoenis Cespedes hit a comebacker off Tehran which seemingly broke the spell. The insanely hot Granderson followed the Cespedes single with a two run homer to make it 4-2. It was the Mets first runs off Teheran in 29 innings. 

The Braves wouldn’t expand on this lead due to a truly great Josh Smoker appearance. 

Smoker inherited a mess in the sixth. Jose Reyes made a nice play to ball Swanson hit down the third base line off Jim Henderson. However, Reyes’ arm wasn’t strong enough to get the speedy Swanson. Worse yet, James Loney‘s arm wasn’t strong enough to get Jace Peterson who went from first to third on the play. Ultimately, it didn’t matter as Smoker was terrific. 

Smoker first struck out A.J. Pierzynski. Then he got Ender Inciarte to hit into the inning ending 3-6-3 double play.  The appearance might’ve been Smoker’s best in his short career. It did give the Mets a chance to win. 

While it wasn’t as impressive as Smoker’s effort, Hansel Robles got out of a jam in the seventh to keep the Braves from tacking on to their 4-2 lead. At the time, it seemed like nothing more than a nice recovery for Robles. As it turns out, Robles would get the win. 

The Mets loaded the bases with no outs in the eighth off Mauricio Cabrera. The bases shouldn’t have been loaded as Reyes hit what could’ve been a double play ball that Swanson booted. It would’ve been a tough turn with Reyes’ speed, but at a minimum, the lead runner should’ve been out. 

In any event, Cespedes came up with the bases loaded, and he put together a terrific at bat hitting a deep sacrifice fly to right scoring Alejandro De Aza. The ball was deep enough to permit Reyes to go to third. Granderson followed with a bloop that seemingly stayed up forever, and still Kemp could not get to it. Just like that tie game. 

The Mets took the lead on a Kelly Johnson pinch hit RBI double.  

Bruce was then intentionally walked by Cabrera before he departed in favor of Jose Ramirez. Ramirez then plunked the pinch hitting Michael Conforto to make it a 6-4 game. In the inning the Mets batted around with only two hits, but it was enough to score four runs. 

This set up the formula the Mets wanted. No, not Eric Campbell at first base due to all the lineup machinations, even if he did make two great plays at first in the eighth. The Mets were able to fog with Addison Reed and Jeurys Familia to close out the 6-4 win. 

The Mets had this chance because Granderson is playing like the Granderson of old. With him contributing like this each and every night, the Mets are certainly capable of repeating performances like tonight. 

Game Notes: Gavin Cecchini was the sole non-catcher bench player who didn’t get into the game. 

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Yoenis Cespedes Wouldn’t Let the Mets Lose

The Mets just about blew this game in every way, shape, and form.  And yet, Yoenis Cespedes wouldn’t let them lose. 

Rafael Montero was handed a 2-0 lead as a result of Curtis Granderson and Jose Reyes solo home runs off Brandon Finnegan. However, Montero would give it back as his high wire act came crashing down to Earth. 
In the third, Montero issued a one out walk to Zack Cozart. Montero then paid no attention to him, so Cozart stole second. It was your classic Travis d’Arnaud didn’t throw out the runner who got a massive jump situation. After that, Montero would break an 0-27 streak opposing batters had against Mets pitching with runners in scoring position when Adam Duvall crushed a game tying two run homer. 

The Reds would then go ahead in the fifth with Montero still struggling. He allowed a lead off triple to Hernan Irabarren. He would then issue a one out walk to Cozart. At that point, through 4.1 innings where Montero allowed three hits and four walks, Terry Collins had seen enough. He went to the bullpen to get a left-handed to pitch to Joey Votto to get the biggest out in the game. 

Collins could’ve gone with Jerry Blevins, who has been the Mets best lefty out if the pen. He could’ve gone with Josh Smoker who is a strikeout machine. No, Collins went with his worst possible option with Josh Edgin, who still has not regained his velocity. 

Votto would lift a fly ball to right. Jay Bruce, the man with the highly touted throwing arm, made a weak and offline throw to home plate allowing Irabarren to score giving the Reds a 3-2 lead. 

It seemed it would stay that way after a brutal top of the sixth. Bruce led off with a single, and he moved to second on a brutal Duvall fielding error. First, d’Arnaud couldn’t get him home as he flinched on a pitch that was clearly a strike. After a Granderson hit by pitch, Kelly Johnson, pinch hitting for Matt Reynolds, just beat out the relay throw to avoid the 3-6-3 double play. Michael Conforto, pinch hitting for Ynoa, struck out looking on a ball that looked off the plate. Apparently, it was too close to take. 

In the seventh, Cespedes would start to take over. Asdrubal Cabrera summoned all he could with his injured knee to leg out an infield single to get on in front of Cespedes. Cespedes then did his thing:

  

The ball just cleared the center field wall to give the Mets a 4-3 lead. 

In the eighth, Cespedes wouldn’t let the Reds get something going. Mets killer Brandon Phillips lined a ball to the left field wall off Addison Reed. Cespedes fielded the ball cleanly as it ricocheted off the wall, turned, and delivered a perfect strike to Johnson. 

From there, Alejandro De Aza hit a pinch hit homer, the Mets 11th of the season, to give the Mets a 5-3 lead. That two run cushion was more than enough for Jeurys Familia who recorded his 46th save of the year. 

This game was another example of how important Cespedes is to the Mets, and how much they need him healthy down the stretch. 

Game Notes: Collins made six pitching changes with the expanded rosters. Gavin Cecchini, T.J. Rivera, Eric Campbell, and Brandon Nimmo joined the team today, but would not enter the game. 

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Matt Reynolds Awakens the Dreary Mets

Terry Collins and the Mets made the best out of an awful situation with the Mets playing a late Sunday night game followed by an early Monday afternoon game. 

Bartolo Colon flew ahead of the team to make sure he was well rested.  Jose Reyes, Asdrubal Cabrera, and Yoenis Cespedes, i.e. veterans with some nagging injuries, were given a day off. Curtis Granderson was also given a day meaning the Mets were without the top four hitters in they’d lineup. With that in mind, an extremely tired Mets team went to their bench to ask them to win one. They did. 

Matt Reynolds, who took the red eye from Las Vegas, and Kelly Johnson each hit solo homers to give the Mets a 2-0 lead. 

That was enough for Colon who navigated his way out of trouble for most of the day. He was aided by two double plays in the first few innings. Twice he stranded a runner on third with no outs. His best feat was in the sixth when he stranded Hernan Iribarren at third after a lead off triple. This was in part due to his unwillingness to test Jay Bruce‘s arm. Coincidentally, Bruce’s throw would go to the backstop. 

His final line was six innings, five hits, no runs, none earned, one walk, and two strikeouts. 

Fortunately, he gave the Mets some much needed depth with both Addison Reed and Jeurys Familia unavailable. 

On the bullpen front, Hansel Robles had another good outing, but Jerry Blevins struggled. Blevins would get bailed out by Fernando Salas in the eighth. Salas would finish out the game. 

Still, even with the win, it’s not like the Mets were crisp. Reds starter Robert Stephenson struck out nine in 5.1 innings. The only Mets player with a multiple hits off the Reds stater was Wilmer Flores, who no one was quite sure what he was doing on the bases:

In the first, he was thrown out trying to stretch a single into a double. In the fourth, he was thrown out trying to stretch a double into a triple. Finally, in the sixth, he had the good sense to stop at first bases much to the delight of Phoebe:

The Mets put the game on ice in the seventh. Reynolds hit an RBI single scoring Travis d’Arnaud, who walked to start the rally. Cabrera pinch hit for Colon, and hit an RBI single scoring James Loney. Alejandro De Aza capped off the rally with a sacrifice fly scoring Reynolds making the score 5-0. 

While it was Flores that was perfect at the plate, it was Reynolds who was the offensive star of the game. Reynolds would go 2-3 with two runs, two RBI, and a home run. With the insane scheduling and the veterans’ nagging injuries, the Mets needed someone to step up. It was an exhausted Reynolds who stepped up and powered the Mets offensively. 

With that Reynolds and the entire Mets team earned a well needed rest. 

Game Notes: This was Bruce’s first game back in Cincinnati since the trade, and the team had a pre-game ceremony honoring him. Bruce would go 0-3 with two strikeouts leaving two men on base. 

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Terry Collins – You Genuis, You

There’s just something about August and September that Terry Collins’ insane decision making just seems to work. Tonight, it was Curtis Granderson: Cleanup Hitter. 

There is no reason to think this was a good idea. Granderson entered the game with only 40 RBI despite hitting 22 homers. He has a .126 batting average with runners in scoring position. It’s .070 with two outs. Yet, there he was – the Mets cleanup hitter. Naturally, it worked. 

First, he came up in the bottom of the first with Jose Reyes and Asdrubal Cabrera on second and third with one out. Naturally, when Yoenis Cespedes couldn’t deliver, Granderson did. He would hit a sacrifice fly scoring Reyes to make it a 1-0 game. 

The Nationals would tie the game at one in the second on a Danny Espinosa solo shot against Seth Lugo. 

It was the lone blip on the night from Lugo, who just got stronger as the game went on. He navigated his way out of a bases loaded first inning jam getting Wilson Ramos to ground out. After the Espinosa homer, he completely shut down the Nationals. What was impressive again wasn’t just his curveball, but also his ability to dial up the fastball when he needed it. In a sixth inning strikeout of Ramos, Lugo dialed it up to 97. In fact, he got stronger as he went deeper into the game:

 His final line was seven innings, six hits, one run, one earned, no walks, and four strikeouts. Once again, he was economical throwing 101 pitches. 

Lugo got the win, in part, because Granderson emerged again. Granderson would hit a two run home run to give the Mets a 3-1 lead. They wouldn’t look back. 

In fact, they would tack on runs with the help of another strange Collins decision. 

Despite going 1-3 with a walk and a GREAT defensive play, Collins benched Michael Conforto in favor of the slumping and ill at ease in New York Jay Bruce. 

The move initially backfired as Bruce made the last out in the second trying to go first to third with two outs on a Lugo single. He would be nailed by Trea Turner. In fairness to Bruce, he was probably relying on Tim Teufel, who has been a bad third base coach. 

In the sixth, he would make up for that and a lot of frustration with an opposite field two run shot:

With that, the Mets jumped out to a 5-1 lead.  On a related note, Conforto may never play again.  

Ultimately, however, this night was about Lugo who continues to get better and better. The Mets could’ve fallen apart after losing Steven Matz to the disabled list and Jacob deGrom missing starts with an arm injury that still has not been fully disclosed. 

Instead, Lugo has stepped up, and he has arguably been the best starter on a Mets team one game out of a playoff spot. For those that truly believe and/or are off their meds, the Mets are 8.5 games out in the division. 

By the way, Collins left on an insane note pitching Addison Reed and Jeurys Familia to close it out because they haven’t been overworked enough and because the four run lead was in serious jeopardy. It was more so in the ninth with the bottom of the Nationals roster due up. He also left a hobbled Cabrera out there in the ninth. 

Guess those moves “worked” too because the Mets won. 

Game Notes: James Loney is scorching going 1-3 tonight. 

Pennant Race: The Cardinals beat the Reds 5-2. The Pirates lost to the Brewers 10-0. The Giants lost to the Cubs 3-2. The Marlins lost to the Indians 6-5. 

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