3 UP
Big Two
As noted on the broadcast, while this Mets team may be deeper than years past, this team will rise and fall with the production of Pete Alonso and Francisco Lindor. That was all the more apparent on Tuesday when the pair helped steal a win.
First, it was Alonso’s three-run homer in the sixth to bring the Mets within one. In the ensuing inning, Lindor hit a grand slam to give the Mets the lead for good. Ultimately, it was both of these players who powered the Mets to victory.
So far this season, Alonso and Lindor have combined for 220 RBI. That is the most from any duo in baseball this season. It appears for the first time since 2008 the Mets are going to have a pair of players with 100+ RBI (Carlos Beltran, Carlos Delgado, and David Wright).
Joely Rolling
At the trade deadline, the Mets put all their eggs into the Joely Rodriguez basket. When Billy Eppler said he trusted him, it seemed laughable to at the time with the joke getting less and less funny each time Rodriguez went out and failed to get the job done.
Be it working with Jeremy Hefner or getting some luck, things are clicking for Rodriguez at the moment. He has made seven appearances so far in September, and he is 2-0 with a 2.16 ERA striking out 12 batters over 8 1/3 innings. Notably, six of his seven appearances have been scoreless.
Rodriguez is getting hot at the right time for the Mets. They need him to be the team’s left-handed reliever come the postseason. If he can continue pitching like this, the bullpen is much deeper, and the Mets chances of winning the World Series improve significantly.
Scherzer 2/3 Perfect
Max Scherzer did tell us he was going to be fine when he came off the IL. He might have been underselling it a bit because he went out there and pitched like he didn’t have an oblique issue at all.
Over six shutout innings, Scherzer did not allow a base runner while striking out nine. If not for him coming off the IL, we may be talking about the first perfect game in Mets history.
Scherzer has absolutely been as advertised with the Mets. What’s truly special is he clearly had his sights set on a second ring more than any personal accolade at the moment.
Gregory Fisher-USA TODAY Sports
3 DOWN
Injuries Mounting
As if it wasn’t enough that Starling Marte landed on the IL, we also saw Brandon Nimmo have to leave a game with a quad injury. Not too long after that, Jeff McNeil was very noticeably hobbled even if he would remain in the game. On a much smaller note, Tommy Hunter hit the IL.
We have seen how losing Marte has impacted this team. They are not quite as good and may not have the same fire. Things will get a whole lot worse if the Mets don’t have Nimmo and McNeil. With respect to McNeil, due to his versatility, he may be the team’s most indispensible player.
While the Mets are battling for the NL East title, the most important thing for them right now is to make sure this team is completely healthy come postseason time. If they are, this is a World Series contender. If not, we may see this great season end far earlier than we all hoped it would.
Bizarre Buck
Ultimately, when you are shut out, you are going to lose regardless of what the manager does. That said, that game was the latest in what has been some odd decision making of late for Buck Showalter.
We saw him bring David Peterson into the middle of an inning. While Peterson was pitching well, he had Peterson issue an intentional walk to load the bases to then bring in Drew Smith. For some unfathomable reason, Showalter thought using Smith with the bases loaded in his return from a lengthy IL stint was the best spot to ease him back.
No, Showalter isn’t to blame for Smith serving up the grand slam. A player always has his share of the blame for poor execution. That said, Showalter certainly put that inning into motion with his decision making.
One other small point is keeping McNeil in that game. As noted above, Marte is on the IL, and Nimmo had to come out of that game. The Mets can ill afford another player getting hurt. That goes double for McNeil. While using a Terrance Gore or Darin Ruf may not have been ideal, it was a far better option that risking McNeil getting hurt further and losing him for the postseason.
On the bright side, Showalter did understand the moment when he got the ball from the Mets setting the single season record for hit by pitches.
Missed Opportunity
For just the 10th time in team history, the Mets clinched a postseason berth. The Mets celebrated the moment like they should’ve no matter what some bitter Atlanta Braves fans may have had to say about it.
Speaking of the Braves, they finally lost a game, and the Mets were unable to take advantage of it. The Mets were shut out in a game where they had a base runner in each and every inning. They also turned what was a close game into a blowout loss with some questionable managerial moves and poor execution.
The Mets had the chance to gain a game in the loss column on the Braves. They didn’t do it, and now the Braves go to play the same Phillies team they just swept. Right now, all signs point to the division needing to be settled in that weekend series in Atlanta.
