Mets 10 Diamondbacks 9 (Citi Field, Flushing, NY)
Mets record: 24-33
Mets streak: Won 2
WP - Luis Severino (3-2)
LP - Jordan Montgomery (3-3)
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.
Starling Marte's three run triple took the Mets out of a 3-0 hole in the first, and he would wind up with four RBI as the Mets hung on for a 10-9 victory.
Need to Know
Marte's triple in the first was only the second triple the Mets have hit all season.
This was the second time the Mets have scored double digits in a game this season. The first was on April 11th when they dropped 16 on the Braves.
Everyone in the starting lineup had at least one hit, and everyone in the starting lineup besides Jose Iglesias had an extra base hit.
Francisco Lindor went 2-for-4 with a run scored and an RBI. In his previous 11 games, Lindor had an OPS of .955 in 48 at-bats.
J.D. Martinez's two run homer off lefty Logan Allen in the 6th was his second dinger in two nights. Coming into the game, Martinez's OPS vs lefties was .952 in 29 plate appearances.
After throwing 103 pitches in his last start, Severino was stuck in neutral tonight, giving up five runs in 5 and 1/3 on six hits, a walk and four strikeouts. Severino threw 97 pitches.
Jordan Montgomery gave up eight runs in a start for the first time in his career. Going into tonight's game, Montgomery had an 0-3 record with n 8.40 ERA in four starts totalling 15 innings, and an 0-2 record with a 14.29 ERA in two starts totalling 5 and 2/3's.
Iglesias made his Mets debut tonight, and got his first hit as a Met in the 5th inning. It would be his first major league hit since 2022.
Reed Garrett made life interesting in the 9th. He came into a 10-5 game with two runners on base, and two pitches later it was 10-9 after homers by Joc Peterson and Christian Walker. But Garrett then struck out Lourdes Gurriel to mercifully end the game.
Turning Point
With Severino giving up three runs in the first, the Mets were in danger of letting the game swallow them hole. But Montgomery also struggled out of the gate, walking Francisco Lindor off the bat, then giving up a one out double to Brandon Nimmo and walking J.D. Martinez to set up the turning point, which was a hard U-turn.
Three Keys
Offense
Fourteen runs in six games isn't a great recipe for winning ballgames. The Mets have been lucky to win two of them (though two wins out of every six isn't a great clip anyway.) So to have the offense wake up against a restaurant quality pitcher (albeit one who is still finding his way after a late signing) is a great sign.
But with the Mets offense being consistent in their inconsistency, the question, always, will be how long will it last?
J.D. Martinez finding his power stroke (after he was a late signing) will help a lot.
Defense
It wasn't always pretty. Two shoddy double play attempts by Iglesias cost the Mets a run in the third. But Brandon Nimmo provided some better defense in the fourth:
The Mets rank near the bottom in most defensive metrics this season. This needs to improve if the Mets are going to jump into playoff contention again.
Pitching
While it wasn't the best of outings for Severino, give him some credit for hanging in after a brutal first inning which started with a hit on his first pitch of the night, a balk and a hit by pitch to start the game, which resulted in a three run first inning. But after the Mets got him the lead again, he hung in there as best he could, only giving up two runs the rest of the way on the unearned run in the fourth and the last one on a home run in the 6th which was his last batter. But he hung in and gave the Mets a chance to win.
Imagine how this game would have turned out if Severino couldn't gut through 5 and 1/3.
Luckily, Garrett got the final out to save his own bacon. It would have been unfair to expect him to continue on his hot start for the entire season, but he's not in a good way right now at all. And obviously his entrance music isn't working as well as Lindor going to "My Girl" for his walk up music.
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