New York Mets rookie, Seth Lugo, continued to get the job done in his biggest game yet in the majors as the team defeated the Nationals by a score of 5-1. For the first time he felt what it was like to be in the midst of a playoff race in New York, with the crowd wildly cheering him on throughout the night.
“It was pretty awesome,” Lugo said. “It was crazy, a lot of fun.” (NY Daily News)
It was also another ‘pretty awesome’ night for Lugo himself. Seven strong innings against the first place Nationals while allowing just one run on six hits. He walked none on the night while striking out six. The Mets could not ask for much more from their latest young stud.
Since joining the starting rotation, Lugo is (2-1) with a 2.19 ERA (six earned runs/24.2 innings). Lugo improved his record to 3-2 on the season with an ERA of 2.38 and an impressive 0.98 WHIP. He also showed some added nastiness to his fastball, hitting 96 MPH on the radar gun at times.
“If I think they’re going to swing, I give them the good one,” Lugo said. “That’s what goes through my head there. Looks like he’s going to swing, so put a little extra on it.”
Lugo has been just one of the great stories as the Mets enter this stretch run of the final four weeks of the season. They kept pace with St. Louis with Sunday night’s win, staying one game behind for the second Wild Card spot. They also added some cushion between themselves and the Pirates and Marlins as both teams lost their respective games Sunday.
