The Metropolitan: Hello, First Place
The Mets sweep in Queens, led by big-time starts from Walker & Stroman
Good Morning,
The Mets are in first place! Ok, ok, it’s only April 14th, but after sweeping yesterday’s doubleheader against the Phillies, the Amazins are 4-3, a few percentage points above Philadelphia, whose rapidly dwindling record dropped to 6-5.
After coming from behind to win 4-3 in the first game of the twin-bill in 8 innings (remember, 7 innings is regulation in double-headers now), the Mets won the night cap 4-0.
🍎 Before we dive into the details of each game, let’s start by focusing on a few key trends.
❶ STARTING PITCHING: Equipped with deep arsenals that include similar sinker and split-change offerings, both Taijuan Walker and Marcus Stroman shut down the Phillies, combining to allow only 1 earned run in 10.1 combined innings over their respective starts. While Carlos Carrasco is progressing toward a return, the emergence of Walker and the confirmation that Stroman still has it after sitting out last season is a boost to the Mets’ division title hopes.
❷ SETTING THE TABLE: All Brandon Nimmo does is get on base. He reached base five more times yesterday, including a 3-4 performance in Game 2. While the rest of the lineup tries to slowly wake-up from their early season slumber, Nimmo has been a spark plug and impossible out for opposing pitchers. He’s batting .435 with a .581 on-base percentage on the season, while playing the perfect table-setting role: When he’s not earning walks, he’s hitting the ball squarely up the middle, never trying to do too much, always making his at bats count.
❸ DEPTH: The Mets improved their bench this offseason, and it’s already showing. Jonathan Villar smacked a game-winning hit in the first game, and added an RBI double in the night cap. Meanwhile, some of the leftover depth pieces are also making contributions. Luis Guillorme continues to be Luis on the Spot. He made a physical tag play to help nab a runner in the first game, while drawing two walks. And Tomas Nído hit his first career triple in the second game.
Now for some game recaps, starting with Game 1….
⚾️ GAME 1 RECAP: The Mets finally came through in the clutch, stringing together three consecutive hits, including Jonathan Villar’s game-winning knock, in the bottom of the 8th inning (which was extra innings in this case) to come from behind and walk-off the Phillies 4-3 in the first game of the doubleheader. [Box Score]
🔑 KEY MOMENT: While it would seem appropriate to feature the play that ultimately won the game, Pete Alonso’s 2-strike single to tie the game leading off the 8th was the breakthrough this team has been searching for in a big spot. Who knows if it affected the team’s subsequent plate appearances, but perhaps Michael Conforto (walk), James McCann (hit), and Villar (hit) were able to squeeze their bats with a little less intensity knowing the game was already tied.
⌛️ LATE HEROICS: You gotta love baseball: After starting the season 6-47 with runners in scoring position (including 0-6 in the game and 0-18 over the past three games), the Mets went 3-3 in the bottom of the 8th inning to mount their comeback. It was only their second multi-hit inning over the past two games.
Playing a 7-inning game due to COVID protocols, and following the new rule of placing a runner on second base in extra innings, the Phillies took a 3-2 lead in the top of the 8th when Didi Gregorius reached on an infield single against a shifted defense after a passed ball by McCann had pushed the lead runner over to third base.
Taking advantage of new rules by placing the speedy Francisco Lindor on second in the bottom of the inning, the Mets were able to use the shortstop’s baserunning prowess to score the tying run off Alonso’s line drive to left-center.
This was a clever tactic by Luis Rojas: After Dom Smith made the final out in the 7th, Rojas replaced him with the pitcher’s spot in a double-switch, knowing that the new rules state that if the pitcher’s spot makes the last out, the batter preceding the pitcher (in this case, Lindor) becomes the extra innings runner. The rule is designed to protect pitchers, but clearly can be gamed.
⚾️ WALKER’S DECEPTION: Despite being pulled in the 5th inning, Taijuan Walker looked impressive again, striking out 8 batters while inducing 12 whiffs on 30 swings. After shying away from his split-change during his first start, he featured it heavily on Tuesday, showcasing an extra tick of velocity (90.8 MPH) and considerably more movement compared to last season.
Combined with his 4-seam fastball and sinker, Walker’s split-change gives him three pitches that he delivers with almost identical spin direction upon release, but travel drastically different paths toward the plate. You can see in the pitch overlay video below how his 4-seamer and sinker ride close to each other at similar speeds until they suddenly split apart, leaving Andrew McCutchen dumbfounded.
Overall, the tall right-hander allowed only 1 earned run, and while he struggled a bit with his control (no thanks to home plate umpire Joe West, who clearly was not bribed by anyone), he fanned eight, walked three and scattered just three hits.
🚪 SHUTTING THE DOOR: Despite giving up 2 runs, the bullpen was actually pretty good in this game. Miguel Castro relieved Walker and shut the door in a tough spot in the 5th. He allowed a run in the 6th, but was squeezed a few times on borderline strikes and consistently located his pitches down in the zone and and had stellar CSW% (called strikes + whiff percentages) on all of his pitches. Edwin Díaz pitched an efficient 7th inning. And Trevor May gave up a hit in the 8th, but struck out two batters.
⚾️ GAME 2 RECAP: Buoyed by their dramatic win in the first game, the Mets are suddenly hitting with runners in scoring position, which, along with six shutout innings from Marcus Stroman, helped them sweep yesterday’s doubleheader by beating the Phillies 4-0 in the second game. [Box Score]
🔑 KEY MOMENT: Leading 1-0 in a pitcher’s duel in the 4th inning, Brandon Nimmo stepped to the plate with the bases loaded and 2 outs. He promptly turned the first pitch into a 2-run single to extend the Mets’ lead to 3-0, giving them some much-needed breathing room.
🍎 STRO: After spending the day actively engaging with fans (and critics) on Twitter, Stroman pitched masterfully, allowing just 4 baserunners, all on hits, as he struck out 3, walked none, and turned six batters into ground ball outs. He has allowed just 1 run over 12 innings this season. The right-hander improved to 2-0 with a sparkling 0.75 ERA. His decision to accept the Mets’ qualifying offer this off-season now looks huge.
📈 TRENDING UP: A look at the box score shows signs of life for the Mets’ offense. Everyone except Dom Smith (who homered in the first game) got on base in the second contest, with 7 batters reaching on a hit, and Stroman drawing a walk. Francisco Lindor had his first extra base hit as a Met, with a double in the first inning.
🖐 HAND INJURY: Michael Conforto, who was hit in the hand (for real this time) in Game 1, did not play in Game 2. He had a “precautionary” X-Ray that came back negative.
🤝 FRIENDS: Francisco Lindor told reporters before the doubleheader that Carlos Beltran has helped him get settled in New York: “We got together. We spent a good time talking. We ate. My fiancée met Jessica. It was good stuff. Everything was great. Beltran has been a big mentor in my career." The two represented Puerto Rico during the 2017 World Baseball Classic.
🏥 RECOVERING: J.D. Davis was seen fielding ground balls yesterday as he works to get off the injured list, after suffering a hand contusion on a hit-by-pitch.
📣 DEFENDING ROJAS: After a fan on Twitter criticized Luis Rojas for letting Stroman hit in the 6th but opting not to let him pitch the 7th inning of Game 2, the pitcher came to his manager’s defense:
⏭ NEXT UP: The Mets and Phillies will go right back at it tonight, with a matchup of the Amazins’ future versus their past. Lefty David Peterson (0-1) will face former Met Zack Wheeler (1-1). Peterson got lit up by these same Phillies in his one outing so far, while Wheeler has thrown twice against Atlanta, one a 10 strikeout scoreless gem at home, and the other a more mediocre showing on the road.
⚾️ We don’t mean to torture Mets fans, but it seems worth noting that Tigers catcher Wilson Ramos homered twice last night, to take over the MLB homer lead with six. That’s more than he had all last season.
⚾️ Atlanta ace Max Fried was sent for an MRI on his right hamstring, after tweaking it while running from second to third last night against the Marlins.
⚾️ The reigning AL Cy Young, Shane Bieber, threw nine shutout innings against the White Sox yesterday, fanning 11. Cleveland eventually won in the 10th, helped by an insurance run plated on a pinch-hit RBI double by Amed Rosario.
⚾️ Shohei Ohtani of the Angels went 3-for-5 with his 4th home run yesterday, a 431-foot blast, in the Angels' loss to the Royals.
⚾️ Nats’ stalwart Stephen Strasburg got lit up for 8 runs on 3 homers and 5 walks, over 4 innings, yesterday and was reportedly seen rubbing the top of his pitching shoulder.
🔗 'An inner-circle Hall of Famer'? Jacob deGrom wants to be this generation's Randy Johnson, by Jeff Passan, ESPN (Insider): “Jacob deGrom, the best pitcher in the world, says, very matter-of-factly, "I want to pitch into my 40s." And as much as pitchers aren't supposed to do that, they aren't supposed to gain 5 mph on their fastballs as they move into their 30s, either. And they aren't supposed to throw sliders 93 mph. And they aren't supposed to win back-to-back Cy Young Awards with historically bad run support. And, well, please, by all means, tell Jacob deGrom what he can't do and see how that goes.”
🔗 Pete Alonso's game-tying single on Tuesday could be catalyst to regaining confidence, by John Harper, SNY: “[T]he Mets’ hopes depend greatly on Alonso finding the form that made for such a spectacular rookie year… So here he was leading off the bottom of the eighth with Lindor already on second, thanks to MLB’s extra-inning rule, facing Phillies’ closer Hector Neris. Alonso was all too aware of the scouting report: Don’t chase Neris’ signature splitter that looks like a strike - at 83-84 mph - until it falls off the table and winds up at your shoetops.”
🔗 Luis Rojas' strategic double switch pays off in Game 1, Marcus Stroman strong in nightcap as Mets sweep Phillies in doubleheader, by Tim Healey, Newsday: “[G]ive Luis Rojas credit for a deft managerial touch to help set up the first of those highlights."We did it purposely to keep Lindor as the runner at second base starting the inning," said Rojas. "We started talking about it before the inning was over, do that double-switch because of that rule and we could have Lindor at second. And it came through that way. So Lindor started at second and did a good job scoring on that liner."
And… we leave you with Stroman sharing why he thinks this Mets team can go far this year:
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You guys are great fans ! Survived Diaz too