Bench Mob Does It Again in Walk-Off Win
Mets come back, beat Phils on Conforto walk-off sac fly
Entering Saturday, Jacob deGrom didn’t even qualify for FanGraphs’ men-on-base leaderboards, that’s how dominant he’s been. And that’s aside from the 29-inning scoreless streak he carried into the day.
The qualified wOBA leader with men on base among MLB starters, Milwaukee’s Brandon Woodruff (.205 wOBA), has faced 111 batters with runners on the basepaths this season.
DeGrom had faced 52 batters in such situations, allowing a .177 wOBA in those spots. Unreal.
Facing a Phils team that he’s thoroughly dominated over the course of his career (.210/.258/.297, 420 plate appearances), deGrom had a golden opportunity to continue on his torrid, historical pace (0.50 ERA, 4.20 fWAR over his first 12 starts).
He wasn’t infallible on Saturday. Though, Jake handling his business on the mound was the least of anyone’s concerns. At the plate is where the Mets needed to hit the next gear.
Despite their overall lack of offense this season (3.61 runs per game was last in MLB entering the day), things are still moving right along for these Metropolitans.
Following a doubleheader split versus the Phillies on Friday, the Mets remained four games up on the Nationals heading into the day.
Dominic Smith didn’t appear all too concerned with the current predicament the Mets’ bats find themselves in after their loss in the second game of the twin-bill on Friday.
“We’re finding ways to get the job done,” Smith said. “We’ve got another one [Saturday] and we’ll be ready. When you’re in first place, you can’t be too concerned. You’ve just got to grind one game out at a time and try to win them all.”
He’s not wrong. Though, how long this magical ride will last without consistent offensive contributions is very much to be determined.
The roster slowly but surely becoming whole again with the returns of Michael Conforto and Jeff McNeil, as well as the impending arrival of Brandon Nimmo, should provide the spark.
Facing Phillies right-hander Zach Eflin on Saturday, they’d have their chances but wouldn’t capitalize on many.
DeGrom allowed his first earned run since May 27 in the second inning after taking a comebacker off his backside courtesy of Andrew McCutchen, who then came around to score on Nick Maton’s base hit into the right-field corner.
His ERA ballooned to 0.61 upon the completion of the frame. Maybe this guy needs to spend some time in Syracuse. Not sure if he can hack it up here.
The Mets squared things up in the bottom half. Dom Smith led off the frame with a base hit up the middle, James McCann blooped a single in front of Bryce Harper in right, and Jose Peraza doubled down the line in left to tie the game at one.
Though they didn’t get all they could as McCann was tagged out at the plate on deGrom’s groundout and Luis Guillorme popped out to end the inning, stranding two.
Harper reached on a weak groundball that skipped off second base, eating up Lindor (ruled an error), to start the fourth and stole second (and later third), but deGrom set down J.T. Realmuto (6-3), McCutchen (F9), and Luke Williams (K, slider) to end the threat.
It’s actually amusing to see deGrom get so agitated when he allows baserunners, then kick it up a notch to negate the transgression. Talk about a perfectionist.
Eflin retired nine Mets in a row through the fourth, pitching up to his counterpart and keeping New York at bay efficiently (53 pitches).
Jake responded by firing off a six-pitch inning in the top half of the fifth and chipped in his 12th hit of the season in the bottom half (.414 batting average), ending Eflin’s streak at 10 straight Mets set down.
DeGrom was left on the basepaths, but good luck matching that, Zach.
As if today was Show Us How Good You Really Are, Jake Day at Citi Field, deGrom — clearly without his best stuff on Saturday — was faced with another high-leverage situation in the sixth.
Odubel Herrera led off the frame with a double into the right-field corner, Rhys Hoskins drew a five-pitch walk, and Harper was hit by a pitch that bounced in the dirt to load the bases with none out.
Realmuto popped out into shallow right-center for the first out, but Cutch’s liner into centerfield was deep enough to bring a tagging Herrera in just ahead of Albert Almora’s throw home, giving the Phils a 2-1 lead.
Jake retired Williams to limit the damage and end his day, closing out his first outing of the year allowing more than one earned run (6 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 5 K, BB, 88 pitches; 0.69 ERA on the season; nice).
DeGrom’s spin rates were beyond suspicion and his whiff rates were just as impressive, he just wasn’t his usual uber-dominant self. Can’t be immaculate every time out.
Now the Mets just needed some runs.
Conforto drew a walk leading off the sixth and McCann reached on a two-out infield hit (moved to second on E5; throw), but Williams redeemed himself on Peraza’s groundball in the 5.5-hole, spinning and firing to first, ending the frame.
Aaron Loup (1.59 ERA entering the day) got the call in the seventh, working around a one-out Ronald Torreyes single to keep the 2-1 deficit intact, and the Mets finally struck back in the latter portion of the frame.
Kevin Pillar, pinch-hitting for Loup, crushed an opposite-field solo homer off left-hander Ranger Suarez to tie the game at two and take deGrom off the hook. Love to see that.
As more of the Mets’ regulars return to the lineup, it will allow the world-famous Bench Mob to settle back into their part-time roles and provide the maximum amount of value to the ballclub.
Over long periods of time, bench pieces will be exposed as such by major league pitching. In well-matched-up, one-off situations, these guys can thrive. Put ‘em in spots to succeed and such.
Seth Lugo worked a perfect eighth and Edwin Diaz got the call in a tie game in the ninth. As many have noted, the electric right-hander has been a different pitcher when not in save situations this season.
To no one’s surprise, Diaz found himself in trouble almost immediately, hitting McCutchen with a pitch, walking Williams, allowing two stolen bases, and a sacrifice fly off the bat of Maton put the Phillies ahead 3-2.
Oof. Diaz’s 0.50 ERA in save situations is all the evidence needed that this guy only belongs in the spots he’s most well-suited for.
The bottom third of the Mets’ lineup was tasked with tying the game in the bottom of the ninth against volatile Phillies right-hander Hector Neris.
After two high-drama games on Friday to start the series, how else would this cookie crumble?
The recently recalled Travis Blankenhorn, pinch-hitting for Peraza, reached on a Hoskins fielding error on a groundball up the line to start the inning.
Billy McKinney, pinch-hitting for Diaz, drew a base on balls behind him. Pillar, fresh off his game-tying pinch-hit homer earlier in the game, added an infield hit to load the bases with none out.
Guillorme, in the leadoff spot on Saturday, drew a full-count walk to tie the game on a pitch that was clearly strike-three.
Lindor struck out, but Conforto sent the Flushing faithful home happy with a sacrifice fly into center field, scoring McKinney and closing out a big win.
We’re back on Sunday for a 1 PM EST series finale. All systems appear to be a go for Marcus Stroman to make his scheduled start. Keep it locked.
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