MMO Game Recap: Mets 3, Mariners 1

 

The Mets (47-53) beat the Mariners (53-47) by a score of 3-1 on Tuesday night in Seattle.

Jacob deGrom took the ball for New York and deGrominated the opposition once again, tossing 7 strong innings of 1-run ball, allowing just 5 hits and striking out 7 while walking only 1. The rookie threw 107 pitches, only 29 of which missed the zone. deGrom improved to 4-5 with the Win, lowering his ERA to 3.01.

deGrom looked like he might be in a bit of trouble in the bottom of the 1st inning when he allowed James Jones to get in scoring position with the heart of the Mariners’ order coming up, but Jacob struck out Robinson Cano and Kyle Seager to end the threat.

The Mets got on the board against Erasmo Ramirez in the top of the 2nd. After Bobby Abreu went the other way for a base hit to lead off the inning, Travis d’Arnaud hit a sinking liner to center field. After being robbed of a homer on Monday night, TDA apparently had the sports gods with him tonight. A diving Jones failed to reach the ball, which rolled all the way to the track, allowing Travis to pull into 3rd with his first career triple as Abreu came home. Kirk Nieuwenhuis whiffed for the first out, and after Juan Lagares fell behind 0-2, it looked like the Mets might end up squandering a great chance to put up a crooked number. However, Lagares somehow worked a walk, and Tejada singled d’Arnaud home to put New York up 2-0.

As deGrom and Ramirez settled in and cruised through the next few innings, the action stalled for a bit. However, Seattle broke through against Jacob in the bottom of the 5th when Willie Bloomquist singled and scored on a double by Dustin Ackley, who advanced to 3rd on an error by Daniel Murphy. deGrom was once again under duress with the tying run just 90 feet away, but he calmly retired both Mike Zunino and Endy Chavez (yes, that Endy Chavez) to get out of the jam.

The Mets missed a chance to tack on some insurance in the top of the 6th when Kirk and Juan struck out with 2 runners on base, but deGrom didn’t need any more support, as he rolled through the next couple frames and got through 7 without much trouble.

The Mets got themselves a bit of breathing room in the top of the 8th when Lucas Duda hit an absolute shot over the wall in right against Tom Wilhelmsen. Jeurys Familia came in to pitch the bottom of the 8th and was greeted with a deep drive from Endy. Lagares (aka “Endy 2.0”) calmly drifted back and made a terrific play on the ball, without ever making it seem like there was any cause for concern. Familia retired the side in order and turned the ball over to Jenrry Mejia, who locked up the save and sealed the win for deGrom.

I love Mejia’s energy. And he’s pitching well, too. I  heard somebody refer to him as “King Jenrry the 9th”. I say we go for the traditional Shakespeare formatting and make “Jenrry IX” our closer’s new official nickname. And how good has Familia been? I hadn’t really been looking at his stats much, but wow… he’s near the top of the league in appearances and he has his ERA under 2. Fantastic. I’ve always said the Mets needed power arms, electric arms, young, fiery arms, at the back of their bullpen.  It’s really nice to see Mejia, Familia, and the other guys doing their thing these days.

deGrom has just been amazing. He throws strikes, he keeps his composure, and he’s apparently pretty hard to hit. Just like I’m not willing to drop the “bust” label on top prospects who struggle for a few months, I’m not willing to declare middling prospects who get off to hot starts “stars”. Still, it looks like Jacob has what it takes, so let’s see if he can keep performing. He’s certainly making the Rookie of the Year race interesting.

Duda’s homer was the Mets’ first since the All-Star break. They had really been slugging during the final 2 weeks before the break, so hopefully they can get their power back. Also, have you guys ever heard Duda’s voice? He could definitely make the All-Star team for “Guys whose voices don’t match their appearances at all”. He sounds like a bookish schoolboy. But if he keeps hitting baseballs 440 feet, it doesn’t matter.

Lagares’ catch was great. But he acted like he was catching a pop fly. And the fact that it was Endy who had hit the ball added a nice bit of irony to the play. That was definitely one of the highlights of the night.

Kirk has slowed down. He can field, he can run, and he has a bit of pop, but I’m still not sold at all on his ability to make consistent contact. Murphy is also in a slump, but he knows how to hit, so I think he’ll pick it up soon.

I hope I never have to watch Bobby Abreu “sprint” from first to home on a triple ever again. It was painful. I wasn’t even sure he’d make it.

Nice win to earn a split. Let’s take the rubber game tomorrow.

Up Next: The Mets will look to secure a series win over the Mariners on Wednesday afternoon at SAFECO Field. Bartolo Colon (8-8, 4.12 ERA) will face Taijuan Walker (1-1, 3.60 ERA) at 3:40 PM.