3 Up
1. David Wright
Whenever you have the opportunity to take the first game of a series on the road against a division rival, it’s important you take that opportunity. After the Mets got down in an early hole in the series opener, it was the Captain who connected on a three-run home run that gave the Mets a 3-1 lead that they never relinquished. It was his fifth home run of the year and it could not have come at a better time. After getting a rest in the middle game, David once again set the tone in the rubber game yesterday, launching his second home run of the series to give the Mets an early 1-0 lead.
After a very uncharacteristic start his last time out against the same Washington Nationals team, giving up three runs and walking five batters, Bartolo Colon was fantastic in the series opener down in the District. After giving up an early run in the first inning, Bart went on to throw seven strong innings while giving up five hits and just that one run. He only struck out two batters but he was in control the whole entire game, and it was as if he was a completely different pitcher from his last time out. With the win, Colon improved to 4-3 on the season with an ERA of 3.44.
3. Steven Matz
If you are sensing a trend after every time Steven Matz pitches, you are correct. He has found his way on to this list several times this season, and for good reason. In the rubber game, and a game that seemed like the Mets needed to have, Matz turned in eight brilliant innings while allowing just four hits and no runs. He struck out seven batters and retired 17 of the last 18 batters he faced. Over his last seven starts now, Matz is 7-0 with a 1.13 ERA with a total of 49 strikeouts in 48 innings. He is quickly becoming one of the top left-handers in the game.
3 Down
1. Matt Harvey
It seems like at this point, Matt Harvey has nine lives. He keeps getting chance after chance, hoping that at some point he will right the ship. It was not to be on Tuesday night, as he once again matched up with Nationals undefeated pitcher Stephen Strasburg. Like most times this year, Harvey was unscathed through three, but it was the fourth inning where he started to get into trouble. The Nats ended up launching three home runs against him, and he lasted just five innings while striking out just one batter. Adding insult to injury, Daniel Murphy was one of those three home runs, and it was a no doubter.
The last road trip the Mets had out west, all signs were starting to point towards Kevin Plawecki finding his groove. However, as of late he has taken a step back. Plawecki started the first two games of the series and went hitless in seven at bats. You have to start to wonder when he is going to start to figure it out. Meanwhile, backup catcher Rene Rivera had himself a solid game yesterday, driving in a crucial run and throwing out a baserunner in the second inning.
After sitting the first game of the series against the lefty Gio Gonzalez, Conforto started the two latter games of the set, but struggled. He was hitless in seven at bats, including an 0 for 4 effort with three strikeouts against Stephen Strasburg on Tuesday night. He’s now just 2-13 in his last four games and his batting average has dipped down to .270 on the year.
