The Mets (59-50) defeated the Tampa Bay Rays (54-56) by a score of 4-3 tonight at Tropicana Field.
Jacob deGrom took the mound for the Amazin’s this evening, and though he didn’t have his A-game, he still managed to gut out 6.1 innings, allowing two runs on six hits while not walking a batter and striking out seven.
The two runs against deGrom came off a pair of solo home runs, one from Grady Sizemore in the fourth inning, and the second from James Loney in the seventh which chased deGrom from the game.
The aforementioned Sizemore also contributed a crucial play defensively in the sixth inning, as Wilmer Flores nearly tied the game with a solo home run, but the former all-star was able to bring the ball back and effectively rob Flores of the long ball.
In the seventh inning, with Tampa Bay leading 1-0, Juan Uribe was finally able to get the Mets on the scoreboard, hitting a no doubter to left field.
After Loney hit his home run in the seventh to give the Rays the lead again, Daniel Murphy answered back with a solo home run of his own in the eighth off of Jake McGee to get the Mets even.
In the eighth inning, Tyler Clippard entered the game after Eric O’Flaherty and Bobby Parnell were able to escape danger in the seventh, and surrendered a home run to Evan Longoria to put Tampa Bay up yet again.
In the ninth inning, Rays’ closer Brad Boxberger came on to shut the door, and immediately allowed Lucas Duda to reach base, after Duda hit a tapper to the third base side which Boxberger threw away attempting to throw Duda out at first.
Duda then advanced to second on a wild pitch, and scored two batters later on a double to left center field from Michael Conforto.
The Mets then took the lead – this time for good – on a single to right field from America’s Sweetheart, Wilmer Flores, that scored Conforto.
Jeurys Familia entered the game in the bottom of the ninth, and looked to earn his 30th save of the year, and did just that, despite giving up a lead off single to Asdrubal Cabrera.
According to the Elias Sports Bureau, this is the first time in team history the Mets overcame 3 separate deficits in each of the last 3 innings to win a game.
Thoughts:
What an exciting game! No matter how many times the lead changed hands, I didn’t fret because I just had a feeling that the Mets were going to pull a win out tonight, and what a perfect way to have it happen as Wilmer Flores is responsible for the game winning hit. It’s just poetic justice.
The Mets are red hot right now, and for the first time in a long while, it’s real and it’s amazing to be a Mets fan!
On a side note, with Washington losing tonight against Colorado, the Mets now own a 2.5 lead in the National League Eastern Division!
On deck:
Noah Syndergaard (6-5, 2.66 ERA) gets the ball for the Mets tomorrow night, and takes on Nate Karns (6-5, 3.37 ERA). First pitch is at 6:10 PM.
