Wow, this was a great game for the Mets who just beat the Atlanta Braves 7-5 in extra-innings at Turner Field tonight. I hope you caught all the action because it was one of the best games and biggest wins of the season for the Mets. Jordany Valdespin once again sparked the big inning and continues to make Terry Collins look like a fool whenever he’s out of the lineup. More on him later.
Shaun Marcum made his second start for the Mets and had a very uneven performance, lasting just 4.1 innings and allowing three runs on six hits and three walks. His ERA is now 7.20 for the season and he needs to start stepping up his performance real quick. LaTroy Hawkins relieved Marcum and aside from letting one inherited runner to score, he gave the Mets 1 2/3 effective innings of relief. At this point the score was knotted at three after five.
The Mets got two of their first three runs on another John Buck homer – a two run shot in the first inning and his tenth big fly of the year. In the second inning, Lucas Duda belted his sixth homer of the season and he seems to be heating up again.
Things got dicey for the Mets in the seventh when Scott Atchison allowed two walks and a run to give the Braves the lead. Then after the Mets tied the game again in the eighth, Brandon Lyon gave the lead right back again after coughing up a solo home run to Braves catcher Evan Gattis in the bottom of the inning to put the Braves up 5-4.
Enter the captain David Wright who hit an absolute bomb off one of the best closers in the game, Craig Kimbrel, in the ninth inning to tie the game at 5-5. It was Wright’s fourth homer of the season and this one was as clutch as you can get.
The Braves tried to mount a walk-off win in the ninth after a leadoff double, but in came closer Bobby Parnell who slammed the door with some major league heat and kept Atlanta from scoring to send the game into extra innings.
In the the top of the tenth inning, El Dramatico – Jordany Valdespin – ignited the a two-run rally with a clutch pinch-hit walk. Spin then takes off for second base and gets in safely to get himself into scoring position. Ruben Tejada follows up with line-drive RBI single to plate Valdespin with the lead run and put the Mets up 6-5. Daniel Murphy would follow that up with an RBI single to give the Mets an insurance run.
Jeurys Familia came in to close it out and notched his first big league save after mowing down the heart of the Braves lineup with a scoreless 1-2-3 tenth inning.
It was an amazing game with lots of excitement from start to finish. The Mets refused to lose and they got some clutch performances at the plate and out of the bullpen which was great to see. Valdespin is the most exciting player on the team and is always making things happen!
