Game 21 of 162
Mets 7 - Giants 0 (Oracle Park, San Francisco)
Mets record: 14-7
Mets streak: Won 3
WP - Joey Lucchesi (1-0)
LP - Anthony DeSclafani (1-1)
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.
With the Mets sorely in need of good starting pitching performances with four of their original five starters out with injury or suspension, they got one from the most unlikely place: Joey Lucchesi, who hadn't pitched in the majors since June 18th of 2021, went seven shutout innings while striking out nine to lead the Mets to their third straight victory.
Need to Know
Pete Alonso was his usual monstrous self, hitting his 10th home run in April (a Mets record) over the center field wall in the 2nd inning to give the Mets a 4-0 lead, and it basically put the game away. Alonso would drive in two more runs with a single in the ninth for four RBI on the night.
Alonso, Brandon Nimmo, Jeff McNeil, Daniel Vogelbach, and Luis Guillorme all had two hits tonight, and only Francisco Alvarez was without a hit for the Mets as they finished with 13 hits on the night.
Lucchesi was the first Mets starting pitcher to throw a pitch in the 7th inning this season.
This was Lucchesi's first ever victory at Oracle Park.
Turning Point
In a 7-0 game, the turning point usually comes early. Perhaps the National Anthem. But as Lucchesi was getting his night started, he faced a sticky situation in the first inning with two former Mets reaching base on a double by Wilmer Flores and a walk to Darin Ruf. A third former Met, J.D. Davis, was up with those two runners on and one out.
It was one of three double plays on the night for the Giants, with Flores grounding into the other two. The second one in the 6th was key in keeping Lucchesi's pitch count down and allowing him to pitch the 7th inning.
Three Keys
Obviously, Lucchesi was the biggest key to the game with his 7 shutout innings. There were two amazing parts to this. The first one was that he only threw his signature pitch, the "churve", 20 times out of 97 pitches, relying primarily on his fastball. The second one that the concern with Lucchesi in 2021 was being effective the second time past the order. In '21, hitters were hitting .319 against him the second time through the order, as opposed to only .188 the first time. Tonight, he faced 24 hitters, so he went 2 and 2/3's through the Giants order with no problems.
The lineup having so much balance and consistency nowadays was certainly key tonight, but they've been a big reason for the Mets' 7-1 California road trip (with two games to go), especially guys like Alonso, Nimmo, and Francisco Lindor with McNeil joining in starting with the Dodgers series.
Third key is a little off the beaten path, but Tommy Hunter made his return to the Mets in the 9th after being out with injury, and he was throwing the pill 93-94 mph on his fastball. It didn't make a huge difference in a 7-0 game, but with the starting pitching being what it is at this point, having a potential long man to eat up innings will be key going forward. Hunter is all of a sudden throwing 93-94 mph? That's going to be a huge help to get the Mets through the final days of April and bridge the game to the returns of Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander.
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