The New York Mets continue showing resiliency. After squandering a 6-0 eighth inning lead to 6-4, the Mets acted like a championship team. They put the Phillies away, scoring three runs in the top of the ninth, securing the 9-4 victory.
Here are four storylines from last nights victory.
1. Mets Offensive First Inning
The Mets did something we haven’t seen them do consistently, even during this recent successful stretch. Mets hitters manufactured runs through tough at-bats and constantly putting the ball in play. Championship teams do more than hit homeruns. They manufacture runs (see 2014 Kansas City Royals compared to 2014 Baltimore Orioles).
During the first inning, the Mets produced three runs on five hits and walk. Daniel Murphy exhibited great situational hitting with two strikes and a man on third with less than two outs, focusing only on putting the ball in play to get the run home.
Murphy grounded out to shortstop, moving Curtis Granderson home. The old Mets would have popped up or struck out to waste the at-bat.
Mets showed patience taking 15 called balls out of the zone. More impressive were their controlled swings on pitches in inside the strike zone. Even after hitting 18 homeruns in the past seven days, the Mets were not over swinging, leading to an extremely low miss rate of 5%.
As a result, rookie Jerad Eickhoff labored through a 40 pitch first inning. Impressively, Eickoff rallied retiring the following 14 Mets hitters in a row (16 in a row including Anthony Recker and Bartolo Colon to end the first inning).
2. Colon Mixed Pitches Well
According to Brooks Baseball PitchF/X Tool, Colon threw 73% fastballs. Colon typically throws 80-85% fastballs during a start. His reliance on changeup’s induced three swings and misses for a miss rate of 20%.
For the most part, Colon commanded his two-seam and four-seam fastball low in the strike zone which was the catalyst for his seven shutout innings.
3. Phillies Starter Jared Eickoff Shows Promise
Eickoff uses his 6 foot 4 inch frame throwing his two-seam and four-seam fastball in a strong downward trajectory, causing the hitter difficulty in gauging the actual height of the baseball as it approaches home plate.
This is reminiscence of retired Mets starter Steve Trachsel. The difference lies in Eickoff’s sharp slider and curveball, resulting in a 25.8% miss rate last night.
The reason Eickoff will not dominate, at least for now, is his average pitch command, repeatedly missing up in the strike zone.
4. Bottom of the 8th Inning
Mets left handed reliever Eric O’Flaherty began the eighth inning allowing two singles, a walk and one run in two-thirds of an inning.
Flaherty showed a tight spinning, sharp slider inducing groundballs. Unfortunately, Flaherty exhibited average fastball velocity, average slider command and below average fastball command, throwing 15 of his 24 pitches in the upper half of the strike zone. When 62% of pitches are thrown up in the strike zone, runs are going to score.
Carlos Torres secured Phillies runs scoring, giving up a two-run double to Cameron Rupp. None of the five pitches Torres threw showed capable command, movement or any competitive edge against Rupp.
Tyler Clippard continued showing an above average changeup, inducing a sharp groundball to Wilmar Flores and a soft flare off the bat of Jeff Francoeur, eventually closing out the eighth inning.
Follow Chris Zaccherio on Twitter @ziography for more Mets insight going beyond statistics.
