Mets 7 Marlins 3 (Citi Field, Flushing, NY)
Mets record: 63-59
Mets streak: Won 1
WP - Sean Manaea (9-5)
LP - Roddery Munoz (2-7)
Seat on the Korner:
We select the star of the game and virtually invite him to a Seat on the Korner, just as Ralph Kiner used to do for his studio postgame show on WOR-channel 9 broadcasts in the early decades of the Mets.
This could have also easily gone to Brandon Nimmo, who went 2-for-5 with a three run homer, but McNeil's homer earlier in the game turned it around for the Mets in a much needed victory (aren't they all) on Friday night. McNeil also finished with two hits in four at-bats.
Need to Know
The Mets hit for the cycle in the fourth inning where they scored 6 runs, including homers by Jeff McNeil and Brandon Nimmo and a triple by Francisco Lindor.
Nimmo's homer, a three run shot which made it 7-2, was his first home run since the All Star Break, and his first hit after an 0-for-17 stretch.
Sean Manaea bounced back from his clunker in Seattle by throwing 7 innings, giving up three runs on five hits and a walk with 4 strikeouts.
Jose Butto finished it off with two scoreless innings with two strikeouts.
Roddery Munoz, who had an ERA of 0.82 in 11 innings this season, gave up 4 earned runs in 3 and 1/3 innings and 93 pitches.
After 11 walks on Thursday afternoon, the Mets gave up two walks on Friday night: One on the first batter of the game, and the second with two outs in the 9th.
Turning Point
The Mets had just given up the go ahead run on a play that was originally ruled a double play, but overturned after Pete Alonso's foot came off the bag on McNeil's wild throw. After the Mets lost two out of three against Oakland, this could have been an early gut punch.
But Jeff's two run homer swung the pendulum back in the Mets' favor for good, and washed memories of the Oakland series away for us (for a minute.)
Three Keys
What Goes Down Can Sometimes Go Back Up
Manaea threw 105 pitches over seven innings, and it was amazing that he lasted those 7 innings after he started the game with an 11 pitch walk to Xavier Edwards to start the game. It could have been one of those five and fly slogs after that. But Manaea, who had been very good lately but was coming off a clunker at T-Mobile Park, bucked up and gave the bullpen some much needed rest tonight.
What Goes Down Can Sometimes Go Back Up (Part 2)
Brandon Nimmo has always been a little streaky, but this latest down streak seems long even for him. So to see him put the game out of reach on a no-doubt three run dinger in the 4th puts thoughts of a renaissance in our heads. The Mets could use someone besides Francisco Lindor to go on a heater. If that player is Nimmo at the top of the order, all the better.
Unrealistic Expectations?
The Mets series loss to Oakland was brutal, but the dirty little secret was that the A's had actually been playing very well since the All Star Break, going 15-9.
The Marlins, however, have not been playing as well since the break, going 6-11 in their last 17. Add to that their roster being decimated at the trade deadline, and it's not a stretch to say that for the Mets to climb back into a playoff spot, a sweep of the Marlins would help. They say "just win series", but when a team like the Marlins is presented to you, especially after the series loss to Oakland (after a 4-6 road trip), and leading up to a 10 game stretch against the Orioles at home and the Padres and Diamondbacks on the road, the Mets could use a series sweep to give themselves a shot.
There's no real video to go along with this, so here's Keith Hernandez throwing a donut:
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