The New York Mets extended their winning streak to 9 games after defeating the Atlanta Braves 7-1 at Citi Field on Tuesday evening.
Pitching:
Starter Jonathon Niese went 6.2 strong innings, allowing 1 earned run on 4 hits and 4 walks while striking out 5. The only run came on a solo home run off the bat of center fielder Cameron Maybin. Niese improves to 2-0 on the year, while lowering his ERA to 1.50 on the season.
Niese was relieved by Erik Goeddel who walked the only batter he faced on four pitches. The ball was taken from him and given to lefty Alex Torres to face Freddie Freeman, who he subsequently struck out looking with a 93 mph fastball on the inside corner.
Carlos Torres bounced back nicely from a rough outing by pitching a perfect inning, recording a strikeout. Lefty Sean Gilmartin took the mound for the 9th. After giving up a base hit to the first batter, he induced a double play, then got Cameron Maybin to pop up to Lucas Duda to end the game.
Offense:
Congratulations to Kevin Plawecki who went 2-4, recording his first two major league hits and scoring two runs. In his first at bat, he hit a screaming line drive right at Freddie Freeman, but he showed he can also hit it where they ain’t. He should serve as a fantastic stop-gap until Travis d’Arnaud comes back. Congratulations again to him.
Curtis Granderson broke out, going 3-5 with 4 RBIs (his first of the season) while registering his first extra base hit, a ground-rule double.
Juan Lagares went 1-4, his only hit being an RBI single in the 5th inning. Eric Campbell went 1-2 with two walks and two runs scored, as he continues to fill in admirably for captain David Wright.
Notes:
Newcomer Kevin Plawecki not only showed his batting skills, but he handled the pitching staff very well. In the booth, Keith and Ron were lauding him for being aggressive pitching inside. Overall, it was a very impressive debut for Plawecki. If he continues to perform well, the Mets will have an interesting situation when Travis d’Arnaud returns.
Mets starters have the best K/BB ratio in the major leagues. Niese’s 4 walks and 5 strikeouts contradict that, but there is no cause for concern as Niese generally has good command.
The Mets won their 9th straight game, improving their record to 11-3. The only other time the Mets started a season 11-3 was in 1986, and we all know what happened that year. Just sayin’…
On Deck:
The Mets will face the Braves again tomorrow night at Citi Field at 7:10. Dillon Gee (0-1) will face off against Eric Stults (0-1) as the Mets try to extend their winning streak to 10 games.
