Leaping Swag: Mets negotiate San Francisco land mines to win their 6th straight

Mets 2 Giants 1 (Oracle Park, San Francisco, CA)

Mets record: 61-44

Mets streak: Won 6

WP - David Peterson (7-4)

LP - Robbie Ray (9-5)

SV - Edwin Diaz (22)

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.

Whether it be offense or defense ... whatever you needed, Swaggy V provided it to lead the Mets to a 2-1 victory. His 108.7 mph double down the line gave the Mets the lead, and the rested bullpen would hold on for dear life for the win.

Need to Know

• The Mets' win keeps them a half game in front of the Phillies, who beat the Yankees earlier today, for first place in the NL East.

• David Peterson went six innings, giving up a run on 8 hits and three walks, throwing 58 strikes out of 91 pitches. Peterson has now given up 2 earned runs or fewer in 32 of his last 41 starts, and it was also his4th straight game with one earned run or fewer given up.

• Of the 31 games where Mets starters have gone at least six innings, Peterson has accounted for 13 of those games.

• Mark Vientos is hitting .300 in his last 20 at-bats which encompasses his six game hitting streak. It was his 7th multi hit game of the season.

• Starling Marte's double in the 8th gave him two hits for his 5th straight multi hit game. He was the only Met with multiple hits tonight.

• The Mets bullpen went three scoreless innings while giving up only one hit to end the game. (That's an oversimplification, as we'll discuss below.)

Turning Point

With one out in the top of the 6th, Brett Baty hit a ball to newly minted first baseman Rafael Devers. Devers tried to turn the 3-6-3 double play, but bobbled the ball and could only get the out at first. Perhaps if Devers was the DH and Dom Smith was playing first, that 3-6-3 or 3-6-1 DP would have been turned.

Instead, Vientos got an at-bat with runners on second and third, down by one. Robbie Ray gave him an inside fastball to turn on, and turn he did.

He struck out with the bases loaded in the 4th, but came through here when given another chance by Devers.

Three Keys

Resourcefulness

It wasn't a pitcher's duel in the most classic sense, as both Peterson and Ray were getting themselves in and out of jams all night. But Peterson did a great job limiting the damage in the bottom of the 4th when he loaded the bases with one out. Then he got through six as he usually does to give the Mets a chance to win.

Defense Wins Championships (And Individual Games Too)

The Mets played some stellar defense, even before the 9th (which we'll get to.) In the very first inning, Mark Vientos snagged a hot liner by Matt Chapman which saved at least a run. Then when he threw a three finger grip changeup to second, Brett Baty saved him with a great scoop.

Francisco Lindor and Pete Alonso would team up to do this in the third ...

But the Mets' D saved their best for last.

Misconceptions

Edwin Diaz came in for the 9th, which was mildly surprising since the 3-4-5 hitters in the Giants lineup were up in the 8th, and in the past Diaz would be sent in to face the meat in the 8th, with another pitcher taking the 9th. But Carlos Mendoza went conventional, and it was probably for the best as Diaz was getting hit hard by the lower portion of the lineup.

All we heard from Yankee fans (and some Mets fans) was that Juan Soto can't play defense. This is Exhibit A to the contrary. Oracle Park is a tough outfield to play with the high brick wall that gives you hard bounces. On Jung Ho Lee's one out double, Soto made a great play to field the ball cleanly and get it in quickly. With Lee's speed, that could have been a disaster with a bobble or a whiff. But Soto got it clean for a very underrated play.

Then after Diaz struck out Mike Yastrzemski for the second out, Patrick Bailey was at the plate. I was just about to tell my friend that Bailey couldn't turn Diaz's heat. So what happens? Diaz throws Bailey a slider, and he turns on it. Luckily ...

Another great misconception is that Pete Alonso is a terrible defender. This usually comes from people who don't watch Pete Alonso 150 games a year. Those that watch him day in and day out know that he's a very good fielder. He saves a lot of errors with his scoop ability (shout out to Ron Washington), and he has even improved his throws to second base as the season has gone along. He may look clumsy sometimes, but he's Polar Bear sized with some lizard dexterity, as evidenced above for the final out.