Nimmo Makes Nine

Mets 6, Phillies 5 (Citi Field, Flushing, NY)

Mets Record: 71-61

Mets Streak: W2

Mets Last 10: 7-3

WP: Edwin Diaz (6-2) LP: Jhoan Duran (6-6)

Seat On The Korner: Edwin Diaz

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.

In a game that Mets TV announcers Gary Cohen, Keith Hernandez, and Ron Darling called one of the most exciting August games in their 20 year history on SNY, the seat on the Korner could have gone to a few different members of the lineup. Pete Alonso went 4-5 with 2 RBIs, Francisco Lindor went 2-4 with a run scored and a stolen base, and of course, Brandon Nimmo drove in 2 runs including the game winner. Yet it was Edwin Diaz, who faced just 5 hitters to earn the coveted seat.

With the Mets up 5-3 in the 8th inning, manager Carlos Mendoza tasked Ryan Helsley to keep it that way so that Diaz could close the game in the 9th. As has happened for most of his tenure, Helsley was unable to complete his mission. He gave up a 2-run home run to former Mets outfielder Harrison Bader that tied the game. He then followed that by walking the potential leading run, Bryson Stott. This left Mendoza with no choice but to bring Diaz in much earlier than planned.

While Stott was able to steal second, and eventually third, off Diaz, it mattered not. The Mets closer struck out the two batters he faced in the inning, Brandon Marsh and Trea Turner, and kept the score knotted at 5.

The Mets were unable to take advantage in the bottom of the inning, and Diaz came out again in the 9th, with the same goal as the 8th - keep the game tied. And he did just that, striking out Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper before retiring J.T. Realmuto on an inning-ending grounder to first. Four batters later, the Mets were celebrating their 6-5 victory.

Need To Know:

• The Mets are in a stretch of 16 straight games. They are 5-3 in that span.

• The Mets are also in a stretch of 13 straight games against the NL East...They Mets are 5-3 in that span...Overall, they are 21-16 against the division this season.

• The Mets are 43-24 at Citi Field in 2025.

• Including the 2024 NLDS, the Mets have won their last nine

  home games against the Phillies dating back to September 21, 2024.

• With a win tomorrow, the Mets would tie the franchise's longest home

  winning streak against the Phillies at 10 games (from June 20, 1984- August 13, 1985).

• With his clutch leadoff single in the 9th, Starling Marte has now hit safely in 9 straight games. Over his last 22 games, dating back to July 3rd, he is batting .378 with 4 home runs, 6 doubles, 8 RBIs, and 10 runs scored.

• The Mets have the highest OPS in MLB in August at .849, and their 41 August home runs total leads the National League.

• Lindor gives - Earlier in the day, Francisco Lindor teamed up with New Balance to donate and distribute 250 backpacks filled with school supplies to students at PS 20 in Queens. This is the third straight season Lindor has donated backpacks to students in the community.

• Lindor takes - Francisco Lindor stole third base in the sixth inning. It was Lindor's 24th stolen base of the season. This is the third straight season Lindor has stolen at least 24 bases.

• Prior to the game, the Mets announced that top minor league pitcher, Jonah Tong, will be brought up to pitch the series opener against the Miami Marlins on Friday.

  
  

Turning Point:

Tonight's turning point came in the last moment of the game in the form of a Brandon Nimmo walkoff single. It was the 4th-straight Mets single to begin (and end) the ninth inning, and as Nimmo himself stated after the game, all 3 hits leading up to his were heroic.

Facing the Phillies key trade deadline pickup, Jhoan Duran, for the first time since coming to Philadelphia, the Mets wasted little time to get to know him. Starling Marte swung and missed on a first-pitch 98 MPH splitter, before connecting on a virtual repeat of that pitch, this time lining it up the middle for a leadoff single. Pete Alonso followed that up with a first-pitch single to left off a slightly slower splitter (97 MPH). Three pitches, two runners on base - the Mets had something cooking. Brett Baty stepped up with some expecting him to bunt the runners over, but the young infielder had other plans. He worked a 3-2 count before blooping one to left field that landed just in front of Brandon Marsh, loading the bases for Nimmo.

While Nimmo does already have three grand slams on the season, the Mets needed just one run from him to go home happy. Duran's first pitch was a knuckle curve that knuckled more than it curved and almost evaded Realmuto's catcher's mitt. The second pitch, a 98 MPH splitter, was off the outside corner. With the pitcher in a 2-0 hole, Nimmo was now able to look fastball. And, at 101.7 MPH, that's just what he got...

Three Things:

Doin' That Swag

Mark Vientos late-season resurgence continued with a walk, a single, and an RBI tonight. Swaggy V now has 17 hits this month, including 6 doubles, 5 home runs, 15 RBIs, and a .951 OPS.

Re-Pete Performance:

Vientos isn't the only Mets right-handed hitter having a hot August. After a lost July, Pete Alonso seems to have found himself this month. His 4-hit, 2-RBI performance tonight leaves him with 28 August hits and a team-leading 24 RBIs for the month. His bases loaded double off Orion Kerkering in the bottom of the 5th gave the Mets their first lead of the game, and his 9th-inning single was a key component of the Mets game-winning rally.

News from the Hill

While the Mets offensive output has generally been impressive these last few weeks (save for a couple shortcomings), their pitching has been much less consistent. Tonight showcased a bit of everything:

Sean Manaea had his best start of the season, which is great, and also isn't saying that much. He was impressive for the first few innings before tiring a bit in the fourth and then hitting a wall in the 5th. His final line was 4.2 innings (90 pitches), 6 hits, 2 runs, no walks(!), and 8 strikeouts.

While the Mets can certainly be happy with Manaea's output, they're going to look to stretch him out further in his next start.

Lefty reliever Gregory Soto followed Manaea in the fifth inning. With the score 0-0, he was brought in to help the team escape a jam, and much like his last appearance, he was unsuccessful. Manaea left him with runners on first and third. Soto walked Kyle Schwarber to load the bases before a Bryce Harper single brought in the game's first two runs. Soto was able to limit the damage by striking out J.T. Realmuto to end the inning.

Huascar Brazoban hit the mound next, this time with the Mets ahead 5-2. In classic Brazoban "could have been worse" fashion, he gave up 3 hits and a run before getting Trea Turner to ground out, ending the inning with the tying runs on base.

Taylor Rogers followed and made quick work of the Phillies best hitters, using only 7 pitches to retire Schwarber, Harper, and Realmuto on two groundouts and a strikeout.

Then came Ryan Helsley. The Mets trade deadline pickup who has been a significant disappointment so far, continued his rough patch. Just a day after pitching a 1-2-3 inning aginst these same Phillies, Helsely faced four batters tonight, striking out one, walking two, and giving up a game-tying homerun. Since joining the Mets on August 1st, Helsely has given up 14 runs in 8.2 innings.

And then there was Edwin Diaz who earned a win, and his seat on the corner by facing 5 Phillies batters and getting them all out.