A night after looking all but moribund against Joe Musgrove (seriously, you’re the wise one if you slept through it), the Mets put together one of their more satisfying wins of the season against Michael King and the rest of the Padres.
A common exhortation heard on my couch is, “C’mon, don’t let him get out of it.” King looked shaky in the first, walking three Mets, and the Forces of Good tallied an early run when Pete Alonso “hit” a 40 MPH grounder that had just enough oomph to pop into the air after impacting the third-base bag, startling Manny Machado and winding up an unlikely double. But that was it — J.D. Martinez struck out with runners on second and third and one out and Starling Marte did the same with the bases loaded.
They’d let King get out of it.
And for a while it looked like they might very much regret that, as King settled down and had no particular trouble with the Mets in the second and third, then retired the first two Mets in the fourth. Marte singled, but Francisco Alvarez hit a soft, head-high liner to third. It popped out of Machado’s glove and the Mets were still alive. After Jeff McNeil was hit by a pitch to load the bases, King’s first two pitches to Francisco Lindor were outside.
Cue my line: “C’mon, don’t let him get out of it!”
King’s third pitch was a sweeper that was more of a sleeper, sitting middle-middle, and Lindor didn’t miss it, hammering it into the right-field stands for a 5-0 Met lead and, as it turned out, the ballgame. He’d also contribute a solo shot later in the proceedings (hit right-handed this time), a couple of sparkling defensive plays at short and his usual uptempo cheerleading and cajoling as the infield’s captain. The Athletic has a nice write-up of Lindor’s MVP case (TLDR: Unfortunately he’s in the same circuit as Shohei Ohtani) with a couple of facts that made me smile in appreciation: Lindor called the team’s now-famous meeting and went 4-for-4 the next day and he’s spent exactly one day not in the lineup, back on May 2 when he had the flu, and that was the day he delivered a pinch-hit, walkoff double. No word on if Lindor advocated for Jose Iglesias‘ callup or arranged for Grimace’s first pitch, but I wouldn’t put it past him.
David Peterson isn’t going to be National League MVP either, but he’s quietly having an excellent season. Saturday night was impressive overall, with Peterson working into the eighth before giving way to Dedniel Nunez, who looked exactly like his old self in his return. But Peterson was particularly good in the bottom of the fifth, after the Padres loaded the bases on a pair of singles sandwiched around the walk. The first single was almost an out, with Peterson making a superb play but replay review not going the Mets way. With one out Peterson had to face Luis Arraez, not exactly the man you’re hoping to see up there.
Peterson coaxed a grounder to third, with Mark Vientos wisely taking the sure out at first instead of trying for a double play, then made a nifty play to retire Jurickson Profar and end the threat. Those are the kind of situations that have a way of caving in on not only young pitchers but also pitchers who need to stop looking like young pitchers, a label you could staple on Tylor Megill and one that would have been affixed to Peterson not so long ago. (I am going to bite my lip and not mention All-Time Least Favorite Met Jon Niese … oh wait, too late.) But Peterson looks like he’s past that, as well as finally being healthy again. Which makes you intrigued about what might be next for him.
This team may miss the playoffs because the NL race includes several other very good other teams.
But 4-2 so far in this crucial stretch against likely playoff squads is a good start. I’m consistently riding the roller coaster of giving up and then having my faith reignited. You have to hand it to Lindor – he’s proven himself to be a great all around player and leader.
A win today would be sweet
Not just the teams above the Mets. At the start of the day, the Mets were ahead of the Giants by the same margin they were behind the Braves. The Cardinals and the Cubs were right behind the Giants. The WC contenders above and below the Mets have all been streaky, and there’s still time for the Diamondbacks and Padres to go cold and drop back into the wildcard scrum. But fans of the teams right behind the Mets are thinking the same thing about the Mets. The Mets haven’t been streaky in the 2nd half either way, but that’s meant spinning their wheels in the standings while enough other teams have gone on hot streaks to keep the Mets out of a wildcard.
Because they’ve been streaky, I believe one or more of the Diamondbacks, Padres, and Braves will go cold again and open up at least one spot for the Mets, or someone else. The longer the Mets are stuck in 4th in the wildcard race and the shorter the season gets, the more anxious I get about it though.
I could be wrong but I don’t think Jon Niese ever had a stretch like this — 8-1 with a 2.85 ERA? Peterson’s been great.
Lindor:
The Captain of Captains.
Peterson was great but no Mets game can pass without me shouting at my tv at least once. For this game it was walking Johnson in the 5th. Lindor keeps carrying us. There have been brief glimpses that some one or other might help but it’s been almost all him.
Glad the Padres went back to normal uniforms. With what they wore Friday I thought they should be driving trucks around neighborhoods selling ice cream.
Here’s to Quintana finding his mojo today. It’s the time of year where the most important game is always the next one.
Quintana found his mojo, but, alas, Butto and Diaz lost theirs at the same time. Man. This game will just make you nuts sometimes.
Butto had Mason McCoy, the Padres’ 9th hitter and a journeyman replacement for their regular shortstop at that, at 0-2 and walked him. That was the moment of doom for me. It set up Profar’s game-tying home run.
Hypothetically, if the Padres had merely tied the game on Profar and Merrill solo HRs, I’m doubtful the Mets would have won. Then again, the Padres had used their top relievers, so maybe they would have. The bottom line is Butto and Diaz needed to do their jobs because there is no highest leverage alternative. Maybe Nunez will be now. While the Mets did suffer from RISP LOB once again, they had the lead late with their top relievers scheduled. The Mets are allowed to win games by 1 or 2 runs.
Fortunately, the teams around them in the WC standings lost too. No ground gained, but not much ground lost, except it’s another game off a shrinking schedule. The Mets need to make a push and get over the hump, or we’ll be coming up to the point where they need to sweep everyone and get help to get in.
Peterson is breaking out of the stigma from Niese’s lefty successor, Matz, too.
Nunez looking like his pre-injury self is a relief. I question using him for a 2nd inning, but he was burned for today anyway, and Quintana is up, so it mattered to not burn a 2nd reliever after Nunez.
Beat Cease and King, but can’t touch Musgrove. That’s baseball, I guess.