Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sport
In the first at-bat of the game, Curtis Granderson hit a solo home run to put the New York Mets up 1-0. It helped set the tone for the game as the Mets desperately needed to salvage the series against the Arizona Diamondbacks. Three more home runs and seven impressive innings by Jacob deGrom would be more than enough to win the final game of the series 6-3, and come away with two wins in Phoenix.
DeGrom had come off three straight games with at least eight strikeouts while not allowing a walk in any of the starts, becoming the third pitcher to do so in the modern era. Although he did surrender three walks against the Diamondbacks, he continued his high strikeout performances, tallying 10 on the afternoon. Overall he pitched seven innings with 10 Ks and 3 walks while allowing three runs (two earned). His record and ERA on the season are now 7-4 and 2.42, respectively. Prior to this four-game stretch, he had hit a bit of a rough patch but he’s showing us why manager Terry Collins refers to him as “the other ace,” alongside Matt Harvey.
There have been too many games in which the pitching outperformed the hitting, resulting in a loss. However, this was not one of those games. In total, the Mets hit four home runs: two by Granderson, and one apiece by Eric Campbell and Wilmer Flores. Flores’ nine home runs leads all Major League shortstops.
With a depleted lineup, it was great to see the Mets able to put up six runs. They’re heading home to face the 32-26 San Francisco Giants. Even though they’re struggling as of late, the Mets are going to need all the momentum they can get in order to get the series win.
Although Travis d’Arnaud will be making his return to the Mets — likely by the end of the week — they’re still going to need their role players to support the team when the stars are struggling. One of those players right now is Juan Lagares, who’s hitting .379/.379/.621 in the last seven games. He added to that with his 3-for-4 performance on Sunday. If he, along with Flores and Ruben Tejada, can continue their hitting when d’Arnaud returns the Mets’ offense might show signs of life more often, even as players like Lucas Duda struggle.
The only exception from this game came in the first inning when Campbell made a throwing error, resulting in two runs for the Diamondbacks. He retaliated in the top of the second with his two-run home run.
Overall, there were plenty of pleasant things that the Mets did in game and it’s a boost they needed, especially after surrendering leads in both Friday’s and Saturday’s games. After the Giants visit, the Mets will face the Atlanta Braves, giving them a good chance to create some separation in the East. If they continue to hit and pitch like they did on Sunday, it shouldn’t be a problem.
Matt Turner is a New York Mets Writer for www.RantSports.com. “Like” him on Facebook, follow him on Twitter @MTurnerNY, or add him to your network on LinkedIn or Google.
