Mets 7 Cardinals 1 (Busch Stadium III, St. Louis, MO)
Mets record: 57-66
Mets streak: Won 3
WP - Joey Lucchesi (2-0)
LP - Zack Thompson (2-5)
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.
Jeff McNeil had an RBI single in the third to make it 2-0, then a three run HR in the 7th to salt the game away. McNeil would wind up with 4 RBI on the night to deliver the bulk of the offense in a 7-1 Mets victory.
But we're also giving Joey Lucchesi a seat as once again after a long major league layoff he returns to pitch shutout ball, this time for 5 and 2/3's to give the Mets a good start and hold the Cards at bay.
Need to Know
Brandon Nimmo had his second leadoff home run of the week tonight. He went 3-for-5 with two runs scored and is on a 10 game hitting streak.
Francisco Lindor, Tim Locastro, and Rafael Ortega also had two hits each on the night.
Lucchesi struck out 5 in 5 and 2/3's, throwing 50 strikes in 84 pitches, getting ground ball after ground ball.
Dennis Santana, who last pitched when Lucchesi last pitched, threw the last two innings to finish the game.
Pete Alonso went 0-for-4 and got the city of St. Louis to hate him when he accidentally threw Masyn Winn's first MLB hit into the stands. The Cardinals would get it back after some negotiating. (Pete would be extremely apologetic about it after the game.)
The Mets have now won 5 of their last 6 games.
Turning Point
With the score 2-0 in the 6th, Lucchesi was losing steam. After Tyler O'Neill's double put runners on second and third, Buck Showalter brought in Phil Bickford to face Jordan Walker. After he walked Walker to load the bases (on a pitch that looked like a strike, by the way), Alec Burleson came to the plate with the bases loaded.
Totally different ballgame if Bickford gives up a hit there.
Three Keys
Nimmo stays hot: During Nimmo's hit streak coming into the game, he was hitting .412 with an OPS of 1.159. His 3-for-5 night will send those numbers skyrocketing.
Churvealicious: After a season lost to injury, for Lucchesi to stop and start this season and have to come back from two long major league layoffs, the injury from last season, and a three month absence from the majors which he came back from tonight, and throw shutout ball both nights, it really says a lot about his dedication and his never-say-die attitude.
An Alvarez Bounce Back: From August 4th to August 17th, Francisco Alvarez was hitting .114 and had an OPS of .368. For someone who has had a rookie season that was being compared to Johnny Bench, and with all the accolades about his hitting and his work ethic being handed to him (deservedly so), a stretch like that had to be jarring for him. But tonight, he went back to basics and went the other way for an RBI hit which led to the McNeil homer.
It's great to see him have an at-bat like that, and going through this slump will be a great learning experience for him. All the great ones go through it. Buck pulling the reins on him in terms of his catching duties down the stretch will hopefully clear his head and allow him to have a strong finish to the season, whether he needs the break more physically or mentally.
Comentários