3 Up
1. CespedYES!
In the opener on Monday night, the Mets got a very much needed quality start from recent call-up Rafael Montero. He and the entire Mets bullpen kept the Mets in that game, and in the 10th inning of a tie ball game, Yoenis Cespedes finished the job by launching a game winning homerun to left center field to get the Mets off to the right start in the series. It was arguably the biggest hit of their season to date, and couldn’t have come at a better time. He collected five hits throughout the four game series.
2. Montero, Lugo Provide Quality Starts
The Mets are starting to get quality starts out of guys they figured wouldn’t even be here at this point in the season. Yet they are, and they are keeping the Mets in crucial ball games. First it was Montero on Monday in the series opener. He gave the Mets five solid innings while giving up no runs, and although he walked six batters, he only allowed two hits. The next night, Seth Lugo gave the Mets six strong innings while only allowing two runs on five hits. Lugo is now 2-2 with a very respectable 2.60 ERA since being called on to the rotation.
3. KJ Clutches Out
If Yoenis Cespedes had the biggest hit in the Mets season on Monday night, Kelly Johnson took that over on Wednesday night with his heroics in the eighth inning. In a tie game with the bases loaded and two outs, Johnson came through, ripping the ball down the right field line clearing the bases. The Mets took a three run lead and Jeurys Familia closed the door in the 9th. It was pandemonium at Citi Field.
3 Down
1. What Has Happened to Jacob deGrom
After getting hit around in his last two starts, Terry Collins decided to give deGrom an extra day of rest. Well, it didn’t work. deGrom struggled again, lasting five innings while allowing three runs on six hits. It was a slight improvement from his last two starts, but in a game the Mets would have like to have in order to sweep the Marlins, deGrom came up short. When he was taken out of the game, he was seen motioning to Mets trainer Ray Ramirez in the dugout.
2. Lousy Loney
For a while, James Loney had been filling in beautifully for injured Lucas Duda, but recently, he hasn’t been getting it done. He went 0-9 in the four game series against the Marlins, and is batting just .176 with one RBI in his last 15 games. At this point, you’d almost opt to play Flores at first and keep Kelly Johnson at second base.
3. Walker’s Season Over
After getting second opinions from two other doctors, Neil Walker and the Mets decided it would be best for him to opt for surgery, ending his 2016 season with the Mets. This is a HUGE blow to a team that needs all the help it can get in the injury department. The Mets will need to find a way to make up for his 23 home runs and 55 RBI. He was having a tremendous season and made Mets fans at least temporarily forget about the departure of Daniel Murphy. Now, how could they forget?
