The Mets (39-37) completed the sweep of the Cincinnati Reds (34-39) this evening at Citi Field by a score of 7-2.
Brandon Phillips hit a lead off home run for the Reds off of Steven Matz, who was making his major league debut for the Mets today. It would turn out to be just a small blemish on what was otherwise a very successful day for Steven.
After the solo shot, Matz settled down and pitched very well, allowing just one more run, a solo home run to Todd Frazier in the fourth inning. His final line has him going 7.2 innings, allowing just the two runs on five hits, while walking three and striking out six. He also earned his first major league victory.
Other than his pitching which was very impressive, Matz dazzled at the plate, and made history in the process. He went 3-3 with 4 RBI’s. No Mets player has ever had a more successful debut at the plate.
In the second inning, Darrell Ceciliani reached on an error, and advanced to third on two ground outs. The Reds then intentionally walked Eric Campbell to get to Matz.
Steven surely made them play, hitting a long double to center field, much to the pleasure of his parents and other family members and friends who were in attendance to see the young lefty and Long Island native make his major league debut.
In the fifth inning, Eric Campbell walked to lead off the inning, and went first to third on Steven Matz’s second hit of the day, a single up the middle.
Curtis Granderson put the Mets up 3-2 with a double to score Campbell and put runners at 2nd and 3rd with still nobody out.
Two batters later, Lucas Duda was intentionally walked to load the bases, as the Reds decided to pitch to Wilmer Flores with one out.
However, Flores flew out and Darrell Ceciliani struck out, as the Mets were unable to add on to their lead.
In the sixth inning, the Mets started the inning with John Mayberry and Johnny Monell singling, and Eric Campbell being hit by a pitch. Guess what that means? The bases were loaded for the second straight inning. And for who? None else than Steven Matz.
And what did Matz do? He drove in two more runs with a single to right center field. He also contributed to the Mets scoring their third run of the inning when Ruben Tejada hit into a potential double play and Matz took out the second baseman, who throw wildly to first, causing Eric Campbell to score.
In the seventh inning, Matz let up a pair of singles, but got a big double play to erase the threat. He then struck out Jason Bourgeois to end the inning.
In a surprising move, Collins sent Matz, who already had a high pitch count and left on a high note in the seventh, back out for the eighth. He quickly recorded two outs, but then walked Joey Votto, and was pulled.
Carlos Torres got the last out of the inning, inducing a ground out from Todd Frazier.
In the eighth inning, Eric Campbell walked again, but was erased at second on a ground out from Michael Cuddyer.
Cuddyer stole second base with Curtis Granderson at the plate, and Curtis subsequently drove him in with a single to right field, giving the Mets a 7-2 lead.
Hansel Robles pitched the ninth inning, and shut the door for the Mets, topping off the sweep of the Reds and a brilliant debut from Steven Matz.
Thoughts:
There’s not much more to say about the Mets pitching staff other than they’ve been simply brilliant. With Matt Harvey, Jacob deGrom, Noah Syndergaard, Steven Matz, Zack Wheeler coming back next year, and Rafael Montero also in the shuffle, this pitching staff is a force to be reckoned with. If we can get a few bats, this rotation is very capable of competing with the best of them.
What a debut. Definitely one of the most exciting and interesting games I’ve seen all season. I might just have to invest in a Steven Matz jersey now. 🙂
On deck:
The Mets are off tomorrow, but start a three game series with the Chicago Cubs Tuesday night. Jon Niese (3-7, 4.12 ERA) takes on Kyle Hendricks (2-4, 4.46 ERA) in the series opener. First pitch is at 7:10 PM.
