3 UP

1. Stro Show

As Steven Matz will tell you, Marcus Stroman raises his game when [Ward] Melville is on the other side. We saw exactly that happen when Stroman had his best start in a Mets uniform. In fact, when you consider the start was in Coors Field and what was on the line, this was probably Stroman’s best start of the season.

Over seven dominant innings, Stroman shut down the Rockies offense for long enough for the Mets offense to reawaken. This is the type of performance the Mets were hoping from him when they obtained him, and that is the type of performance a true big time pitcher can deliver.

If nothing else, Stroman has looked increasingly comfortable in a Mets uniform, and he has begun pitching like the pitcher he was in the World Baseball Classic and the pitcher he was in the Blue Jays this year. This is good news for his final two starts of the season and for the 2020 season.

2. Roadsario

With the Mets desperately needing a big hit to keep their hopes alive, Amed Rosario hit a two-run homer which proved to open the flood gates. His big hit was the latest in what has been a huge second half where has shown everyone the type of player the Mets always thought he was going to be.

What is remarkable is that while many young players feel comfortable and do more damage at home, Rosario has done his on the road hitting .329/.359/.485. He has been so good on the road, he has the second best wRC+ among National League shortstops on the road.

Seeing how Rosario has performed in the second half and on the road this season, we may be talking about how he turned his entire career in the second half of the 2019 season to be a truly great player in this league.

3. Season Saving Rally

It was shaping up to be the type of loss where Mickey Callaway was going to need to get in touch with Willie Randolph‘s travel agent.

Then, Wilson Ramos and J.D. Davis, two batters Callaway inexplicably held back in a pivotal sixth inning situation, pinch hit in the ninth putting runners at the corners with no outs.

Brandon Nimmo had his biggest hit in his career with an RBI single tying the game. After Jeff McNeil earned very hard fought walk, Pete Alonso walked to put the Mets up for good.

You could hardly blame Joe Harvey for wanting no part of Alonso with Alonso tying Mark McGwire for the most homers by a rookie first baseman.

Ultimately, the Mets would score four runs in the inning leading to a 7-4 victory. With the Cubs and Brewers losing later in the evening, over the span of roughly six hours, the Mets went from completely dead in the water to a team with new life and just 3.0 games back.

3 DOWN

1. The Final Nail?

In the fourth inning, the Rockies had bases loaded with two outs and the opposing pitcher Antonio Senzatela up at the plate. Given Senzatela was in an 0-for-44 stretch, the Mets seemed well poised to get out of that inning with their 4-2 lead and figure out a way to shut down the Rockies over the final five innings.

Instead, Steven Matz would allow an RBI single to Senzatela, and the next batter, Trevor Story, would hit a go-ahead three run homer. That homer capped off a six run inning, and it would give the Rockies a 7-4 lead in a game they would eventually win 9-4.

This was exactly the type of meltdown Matz had avoided in the second half. Worse than that, this was exactly the type of loss the Mets could not afford. As they lost this game, both the Cubs and Brewers would win theirs putting the Mets five games out the second Wild Card with just 12 games remaining in the season.

While we have seen the Mets overcome a lot this season to put themselves into the race, this one loss might prove to be the one they could not overcome.

2. Scooter Off Track

One of the biggest reasons why the Mets fought their way back into contention was Michael Conforto. In July and July, he hit .287/.372/.537 with nine doubles, a triple, 12 homers, and 39 RBI in 49 games played. With a 1.6 fWAR, he was the Mets best player over the stretch.

It was more than that. He moved over to center because the team needed him there. He had big and walk-off hits to help the Mets go from 10 games under .500 at the break to knocking at the door of the second Wild Card. As he took his game to another level, he took the team with him.

Conforto has not been the same player in September, and as he has faltered, so have the Mets. In the month, he is hitting .150/.239/.283. That includes his going 0-for-12 with two walks and two strikeouts in the hitter’s paradise that is Coors Field.

In total, this has been a good year for Conforto. He has set career highs in doubles, homers, RBI, and stolen bases. Still, seeing how it is ending, you are left hoping for him to reach a new level, the level he was at in 2017.

3. Mets Bats Chili With RISP

One of the purported reasons Chili Davis was hired as the Mets hitting coach was to help the team deliver in RBI situations, so they would not be a home run or nothing offense.. You had to look really hard to find his impact on the team during this series.

In the series, the Mets underwhelmed in a hitter’s paradise against a Rockies pitching staff with a National League worst 5.64 ERA. Part of the reason for that was the team was 5-for-21 with 19 left on base in the series.

Now, the Mets have made strides forward with RISP this season, but they have not yet reached the point where the lineup is reliable in these key situations. It’s why the team has been largely feast or famine, and they needed a late inning rally rather than coasting to a victory over a far inferior opponent.