In times when victories are difficult to come by the Mets will take them anyway they can. Wednesday night it came via an errant throw that gifted New York the game-winning run after blowing a 3-1 lead in the eighth.
A night after Jacob deGrom’s demoralizing loss, Zack Wheeler tossed one hell of a gem at Global Life Park.
It was an ominous start in the first when the surgically repaired Wheeler loaded the bases with the first three batters he faced – escaping with his only earned run after a Wilmer Flores to Lucas Duda double play. He gave his team seven strong, surrendering six hits, striking out five.
“I could not have imagined that [Wheeler] would be the most consistent,” manager Terry Collins said after Wednesday’s win. “At the end of Spring Training, we were trying to decide does he start, does he not, is he going to pitch out of the bullpen, are we going to leave him in Florida, how are we going to save innings? And right now, he’s as steady as we got.”
The tall Texas starter Yu Darvish kept the Mets off the bases until the fourth when Jay Bruce, with Michael Conforto on board, launched a long ball just barely over the right center field wall, which was originally ruled a triple.
Clinging to a 2-1 lead, Bruce bit Darvish yet again in the sixth, this time a solo shot for some added insurance they would eventually need when the Mets most reliable reliever all season, Jerry Blevins, gave up a two-out single to Nomar Mazara, then a game-tying homer to Robinson Chirinos.
Lucas Duda led off the ninth with a double down the right field line off Rangers reliever Matt Bush, who dodged a bullet with the Mets futile rally Tuesday night. Pinch runner Matt Reynolds traded places with Duda and after Wilmer Flores flailed at a strike three, Curtis Granderson drew a seven-pitch two-out walk.
Then Jose Reyes, sporting a dismal .187 BA, got lucky on fielder’s choice to Rougned Odor, whose spiked throw to second was bobbled and dropped by Elvis Andrus for an error, which held up after the Ranger’s called for a review. And in all of the drama, Matt Reynolds continued rounding the bases scoring the Mets winning run.
“It was going to be a tough play,” Rangers manager Jeff Banister said. “I don’t think we had a play at first base. The only play was at second base, and we didn’t come up with it cleanly. I think if he brings the ball out of the glove cleanly, he’s out.”
Wheeler has been the lone bright spot in the Mets rotation for the season and has gone 2-1 with a 2.48 ERA in his last six starts spanning back to May 9. He’s also second on the staff now with 62.2 innings thrown in 2017.
The Mets can now enjoy a day off before they head to Atlanta on Friday for a four-game series against the Braves. Matt Harvey will take the mound in yet another attempt to regain a slice of his former self.
