Mets Did What Good Teams Do
Beating up on lowly Buccos is just what the doctor ordered before the break
Well, that was fun, huh?
We — and I say that collectively because we’re all in this thing together; team and fans, alike — needed that.
The Mets’ offensive outburst in The Bronx last weekend was nice, but, at times, there’s gotta be another gear to kick into.
With the last-place Pirates in town for four before the unofficial halfway point of the season (closer this year to the Mets’ record than I can ever remember; that sentence was actually just postponed by inclement weather), that gearshift was calling.
Toss in three at Pittsburgh to start the second half, and the Mets have a golden seven-game opportunity to make some headway, find a groove, and create some much-needed separation from the rest of the meandering NL East.
Good teams beat up on inferior ones. That’s just the way of the baseball world. It’s also an age-old litmus test for separating the flashes in pans from built-for-distance teams.
For the first half of Friday’s series opener (Game 1 was pushed back to Saturday due to rain, of course), the Pirates appeared to have missed that message.
Taijuan Walker — now officially a National League All-Star, taking Jacob deGrom’s spot — came into the night with the 10th-best ERA among starters in baseball (2.44), 1.01 WHIP (14th among the same group), and a .192 batting average against (10th).
Clearly, the 28-year-old’s nod for the midsummer classic is well deserved. How he wasn’t included in the initial round of ASG designees remains puzzling, but all’s well that ends well.
Walker didn’t have his best stuff on Friday, but limited damage more than sufficiently and kept the Mets in the game.
A strikeout and double play offered him an escape from a bases-loaded, no-out jam in the second with a run already across for the Bucs and it paid dividends immediately.
A 2-1 lead thanks to Jonathan Villar’s solo shot leading off the second and Brandon Nimmo’s RBI double scoring James McCann after a bloop single put the Mets ahead.
But, lacking the command that’s been such a hallmark of Walker’s resurgence, the Buccos threatened again before Tai’s night would end.
Walker’s other high-leverage spot in the fifth — first-and-third with one out and the top of Pittsburgh’s order coming up — could have turned the tides fast. It did not.
The Pirates tied the game at two on Adam Frazier’s RBI single (Pittsburgh’s lone All-Star) but Ke’Bryan Hayes’ well-struck liner landed in Michael Conforto’s glove and Walker induced an inning-ending 3-1 putout off the bat of Bryan Reynolds.
Hayes and Reynolds could have changed the tone of the weekend with one swing. Walker remained cool as a pickle (shout out to my daughter Lily for that one).
That would be all for the right-hander (5 IP, 2 ER, 4 H, 3 BB, 2 K on 86 pitches; 2.50 ERA), and the Mets would reward their All-Star for him keeping the game within reach. Handsomely, in fact.
The Mets would put up a 10-spot in the sixth, hopefully igniting this offense once and for all. Let’s recap it.
Nimmo led off the inning with a single (.385/.429/.500 since returning from the IL on July 3) and Francisco Lindor walked behind him for Dominic Smith (.286/.351/.512 since June 13), who stroked a single through the right side to score Nimmo.
Lead achieved. Pedal to the metal time.
Pete Alonsotanked a three-run homer to straightaway centerfield in the next at-bat to give the Mets a 6-2 lead and the rout was on.
Alonso now has five home runs over his last 11 games for a total of 16 on the season. It’s certainly not where anyone expected that figure to be at this point in the season, but Meat certainly appears to be falling back into a red-hot groove.
We love a timely polar bear.
And the fun didn’t stop there, friends!
Jeff McNeil (.304/.385/.304 in July) singled behind Pete. Conforto (still really struggling but we’re not worried) and James McCann walked to load the bases. Here we go again.
Jose Peraza was hit by a pitch to make it a 7-2 game. Nimmo walked to drive in another. And Mr. Smile himself lived up to his moniker with his first grand slam since 2018 and the Mets’ first four-run fly of the season.
Lindor, hitting .304/.500/.435 in July, was brought in to take this offense to another level. It hasn’t worked out to plan just yet, but it appears the young wunderkind is coming around. Could be a huge development down the stretch.
As if 12-3 wasn’t enough of a cushion, Villar hit another solo shot, this time from the right side of the plate, to extend the Mets’ lead to 13-3. Check out this freaking rocket.
A night like Friday — including six more against a basement dweller in Pittsburgh over the next week-plus — can do wonders for changing the trajectory of this ballclub from middling, to the moon.
After the game, Mets skipper Luis Rojas spoke about the identity of his squad and the mindset that’s carried them to this point.
“I think every day we show who we are,” he said. “Whether they put [up] 13 runs or whether they put up three runs and we win the ballgame, I always think that we’re gonna connect at-bats like we did tonight.”
“I know our offense is good. I’ve said it and keep repeating it just because I know these guys can hit,” Rojas said. “Even when we don’t have the outcome, the way they fight and play […] just showing how good of a group they are, it’s — for me, I’ll use the word again — they’re special.”
Two on the docket for Saturday. The Stro Show takes the hill at 4 PM EST. Onward.
Never any paywalls. Once it leaves my head, it’s yours. But if you want to pay me for my work, it’s greatly appreciated.
Subscribe to the free email list or become a paid subscriber below!
You can also contribute directly to The Apple at our new business Venmo account!