Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports
The New York Mets offense was pretty lifeless for the most part for the first eleven innings of the day in the double-dip with the Atlanta Braves. Rookie left-hander Kyle Muller and the Braves bullpen held them scoreless in the Braves’ 2-0 Game 1 win.
They then couldn’t scratch anything across against right-hander Bryce Wilson and company for the first four innings in Game 2. They finally broke through against Luke Jackson in the bottom of the fifth.
After Luis Guillorme came off the bench and grounded out leading off the inning, Brandon Nimmo ripped a one-out single. Jackson then got Pete Alonso looking on a slider down and in, which brought the red-hot Jeff McNeil to the plate with two outs.
McNeil jumped on the first pitch he saw and drove it off the fence in dead-center for an RBI double. Kevin Pillar came on to run for McNeil right away for what both him and Luis Rojas said were defensive purposes.
After Dominic Smith drew a walk, J.D. Davis popped out to shortstop to spoil the opportunity. Thankfully, that’s all the Mets needed, as Seth Lugo danced out of danger in the sixth and then Edwin Diaz dominated in the seventh for the 1-0 win.
“I was just looking for a good pitch to get a hit. I know he really likes the slider or curve but I wasn’t really sitting on it, just saw it and hit it as far as I could. A little unfortunate it didn’t go out, but Nimmy was running at first and was able to score easily,” McNeil said postgame on Monday.
This marks the second straight day McNeil has come up with the big hit late in the game. His pinch-hit two-run double off Jacob Barnes in the bottom of the sixth carried the Mets to a 5-4 series clinching win over the Toronto Blue Jays on Sunday afternoon.
With another big hit on Monday night, McNeil extended his hitting streak to a career-high thirteen games. He’s hitting a stellar .370 with seven runs scored, three doubles, a home run, and 10 RBI over that span.
McNeil told reporters following the massive win that he really feels like he’s starting to get in a groove and get his swing back to normal, and he’s been feeling more and more comfortable at the plate.
“I feel much better at the plate. I feel like I’m getting my swing back, I’m really happy. I’m seeing the ball well, I’m getting some pretty good pitches to hit, and I’m putting some good swings on the ball,” McNeil said.
With his recent hot stretch, McNeil is now hitting .265 with seven doubles, four homers, 20 RBI, a .352 OBP, and a .718 OPS. A confident and resurgent Jeff McNeil would be absolutely massive for the Mets offense in the second-half.
