Steve Mitchell – USA Today Sports
It’s been a rough stretch of baseball for the New York Mets of late, but one highlight has been the clutch hitting of Jordany Valdespin, who again keyed a big win Wednesday.
One week after hitting a walk-off grand slam in the 10th inning to beat the Los Angeles Dodgers, Valdespin struck again, this time off the bench.
With the Mets down 4-2 in the sixth inning, manager Terry Collins pinch-hit for light-hitting outfielder Juan Lagares and moments later, Valdespin’s pinch-hit, three-run home run put the Mets ahead for good on their way to a 7-6 win over the Miami Marlins.
In the midst of six-game losing streak, the Mets had lost back-to-back heart-breakers in Miami and needed some clutch hitting to turn things around. Valdespin has become the savior for the Mets despite not hitting a ton. Both of his home runs have been game-winners thus far, and the team should continue to lean on him in big situations.
It would have been extremely tough to swallow if the Mets had been swept by the lowly Marlins, so the team will hope to build off the big victory as they travel to face the Atlanta Braves this weekend.
Another great sign for fans was an easy save from closer Bobby Parnell. Collins decided not to use him in a save situation the night before for some reason, and he came out Wednesday determined to put his blown save on Monday behind him. It took the closer just seven pitches to finish off the victory, which was capped with a strikeout.
As the calendar turned, the Mets put a so-so April behind them and started off May with an exciting win.
Rich Arleo is a fantasy sports expert with Rant Sports. Follow him on Twitter @Rarleo, ‘Like’ him on Facebook and add him to your networks on Google.
