3 Up, 3 Down: Mets Stop Skid Against Brewers

Doesn’t everything just feel better after a series win?

For the first time in three weeks, the Mets won a series. They took two out of three from the Milwaukee Brewers. It wasn’t always pretty, but New York got the job done to record just a fifth win in its past 19 games.

Despite imploding in the opener, the Mets rallied to beat a red-hot Milwaukee team in the final two games. With the Yankees now in town, we will see if this team can truly take off.

Before we get to the Subway Series, however, let’s proceed with the latest edition of 3 Up, 3 Down…

3 UP

GOING LONG

David Peterson was everything the Mets needed and more in the series finale on Thursday. The starter navigated a rain delay to deliver a strong outing on the mound. He allowed just one earned run on five hits and three walks with four strikeouts. More importantly, though, Peterson gave his team 6 2/3 innings. New York needed length with all the injuries to the rotation and a taxed bullpen, and that’s exactly what it got. Peterson became the first Met since June 17 to get through six innings (14 games). It was arguably the most important start the lefty has made in recent weeks given all the current pitching adversity.

GUTSY CHANGES

Full kudos to Carlos Mendoza. The Mets manager came under fire for removing Clay Holmes after 90 pitches during the first game of the doubleheader. Holmes’ exit was immediately followed by an all-time implosion from the bullpen. However, rather than be haunted by that decision, Mendoza made some bold changes for the second game. He bumped Brandon Nimmo up to the leadoff spot. Francisco Lindor, who entered Game Two in a 2-for-29 slump, moved down to hit second. The end result? An offensive explosion from the top of the lineup. Nimmo and Lindor combined to drive in all seven of the Mets’ runs in the nightcap on Wednesday. Nimmo hit a monster grand slam in the second inning to blow the game wide open. Lindor finished 3-for-4 with a homer, a double, a run scored and three RBIs.

Then, in the finale, Mendoza opted to have Starling Marte leadoff. The veteran went 2-for-4 with a run scored. Nimmo, hitting in the five-hole, hit his second home run in as many games. That solo blast came in the second inning again, setting the tone for the rest of the game. Mendoza made some gutsy calls in order to spark his lineup into life, and they paid off. He deserves a ton of credit for that.

GRINDING IT OUT

Despite being gassed and overworked, the bullpen delivered in this series. After an ugly meltdown in the opener, Mets relievers proceeded to shut it down the rest of the way. Five relievers, including Huascar Brazobán as the opener, combined for 4 2/3 shutout innings in the second game. Ryne Stanek and Edwin Díaz deserve special praise, though. Stanek struck out two in his outing on Wednesday. He then struck out three of the four batters he faced over 1 1/3 innings in the finale. Díaz, meanwhile, recorded the save in each of the final two games, continuing his dominant stretch. When they were needed, Mets relievers truly delivered in this series.

3 DOWN

MELTDOWN

As mentioned above, Mendoza’s decision to take Holmes out of the game proved to be costly. Reed Garrett entered the game with a lead, and he would leave having authored a 6-2 deficit. The righty immediately gave up an RBI double to make it a tie game. He then surrendered a grand slam to Joey Ortiz. That proved to be a backbreaker for Garrett and the Mets. There was no recovering from that knockout punch.

INJURIES PILING UP

The Mets just can’t catch a break on the injury front. Another week brought a fresh round of injury blows on the pitching side of things. Paul Blackburn was placed on the 15-Day IL with a right shoulder impingement. The real bad news was still yet to come. Dedniel Núñez was placed on the 15-Day IL with a right elbow sprain, and it is possible that the reliever could require Tommy John surgery. Losing another starter is a blow, but losing another reliever for the year would act as yet another huge punch in the mouth for the bullpen. The Mets are facing a pitching nightmare right now.

HOT & COLD

The offense continues to be maddeningly inconsistent. The lineup managed just two hits all game in the series opener, and eight hits and three runs in the finale. Granted, there was a seven-run explosion in the middle game. But, given the current pitching crisis currently engulfing this team, the offense needs to step up and be a lot better. It also needs to be a lot more consistent. Runners in scoring position also remains a huge problem. Furthermore, the 6-through-9 hitters went a combined 1-for-12 in the finale, and 1-for-10 in the opener. It is way past time for this offense to stop being so hit and miss. The lineup has to now carry the load and start living up to its potential.

The post 3 Up, 3 Down: Mets Stop Skid Against Brewers appeared first on Metsmerized Online.