Another dubious decision by manager Terry Collins could have caused damaging results, but the Mets were saved by a couple of pitching prospects who performed gracefully under pressure.
In a must win series opener against the Cardinals, starter Jon Niese lasted a third of an inning as his faulty knee failed him, retiring only one of the four batters he faced.
Rookies Robert Gsellman and Josh Smoker restored order tossing a combined 5 2/3 scoreless innings to keep the Mets alive and well in the wild card hunt, with Gsellman getting the 7-4 win in his major league debut.
Gsellman’s introduction to the bigs was foreboding when his first offering was drilled for a double off the bat of Yadier Molina, scoring two of the runners he inherited from Niese. After Jhonny Peralta tied it up with a ground out to Reyes, the young right-hander struck out Jedd Gyorko, maintaining his cool for the rest of his joyous stay.
Even though Gsellman was warned Niese may have an early exit. “It was my first time ever coming out of the bullpen, so it felt kind of awkward,” Gsellman said. “You still have to take the mound the same way as when you’re starting.”
Gsellman showed some jitters, but also flashed some big-league stuff after that Molina double, and we saw some of the maturity and pitching smarts that his former B-Mets manager Pedro Lopez talked about in April.
“I think he’s going to be the next guy, I really believe so,” Lopez said of Gsellman. “He probably doesn’t light you guys up with the radar gun. Probably he doesn’t throw the 97, 98 like Syndergaard, Wheeler, Harvey, Matz. I’ll tell you what, this guy — we talked about him in the meetings when big-league camp started.”
Another interesting point in the cited article, was that despite trading away 10 minor-league pitchers last season, the Mets held on to Gsellman and then added him to the 40-man roster last off-season to protect him in the Rule 5 Draft. It seemed obvious he was being regarded as a keeper.
Offensively for the Mets, they continue to flex some more muscle since they’ve gotten healthier. Wilmer Flores drew first blood last night, with a three run blast in the top of the first, which Niese gave right back in the bottom of the inning.
But Jose Reyes and Asdrubal Cabrera, red hot from his return from the DL, regained the lead on consecutive run-scoring hits in the 2nd, then Justin Ruggiano provided a signature moment when he crushed a solo shot to center for a 6-3 cushion in the 4th. The 461-foot blast eclipsed the 457-foot homer by Yoenis Cespedes that was deemed the longest of the season.
After a Randal Grichuk line drive home run closed the gap 6-4, James Loney picked a fine time to break his slump with a flare to center field, tacking on another dose of insurance.
St. Louis had many attempts to get back in the game, but the Mets bullpen of Jerry Blevins, Jim Henderson, and Addison Reed muscled their way out of men in scoring position, paving the way for Jeurys Familia’s MLB-leading 42nd save.
This monumental win puts the Mets 3 ½ games within striking distance of St. Louis for the second wild card spot, and a chance to gain more ground on Wednesday when Jacob deGrom, looking to redeem himself after his last dreadful outing against the Giants, takes the mound.
