Pitching, Defense Powers Mets To Sixth-Straight Win

The New York Mets won their sixth-straight game Saturday night, and started their West Coast road trip 2-0. New York hung on to a slim 2-1 victory on the back of effective pitching and stellar defense. They’ll get a shot at their second-straight sweep, Sunday night, on national television.

David Peterson was once again effective as it relates to the scoreboard. The left-handed starter once again, importantly, gave the Mets length, pitching six innings, scattering eight hits, one run, while walking three and striking out four. All eight of the hits Peterson allowed were singles. Which helped him limit the damage despite allowing 11 base runners.

Peterson, despite the strong performance on paper, was once again susceptible to a lot of hard contact Saturday. On the season, Peterson owns a hard-hit rate against in the league’s 11th percentile and an average exit velocity against in the 14th percentile. The Giants were credited with 12 hard-hit balls Saturday night, and despite this, were only able to muster one run and no extra-base hits. Coupled between some good luck, and extraordinary defense behind him, Peterson once again skirted by and lowered his season ERA to a starling 2.83.

The theme of strong defense continued into the game’s ninth inning, after Reed Garrett and Ryne Stanek posted relatively easy seventh and eighth innings, respectively, Edwin Díaz entered in the ninth. The Giants continued to his the ball hard. Excluding a strikeout Díaz got against Mike Yastrzemski, the Giants had exit velocities of 96.6 mph, 106.3 mph, and 105.9 mph, respectively, in the inning.

On the 106.3 mph line drive out to right field, Jung Hoo Lee missed a home run by mere feet. The ball, that ricocheted off the top of the wall in front of McCovey Cove, was a home run in every other ballpark in the major leagues. The theme of strong defense flashed on that play as well, as right fielder Juan Soto played the ball perfectly, limiting the speedy Hoo Lee to a double, with one out.

The third and final out of the game was by far the most impressive. Díaz saw his 2-1 slider launched at 105.9 mph by Patrick Bailey to what looked like the right-field corner resulting in a tie ballgame. However, first baseman Pete Alonso timed his jump perfectly and snagged the ball out of the air, notching the team’s sixth-straight win and Díaz his 22nd save of the season.

In the game, the Giants owned an xBA of .376 on Saturday to go along with a staggering 16 hard-hit balls. Somehow, the Mets only allowed one run and one extra-base hit. On the back of strong defense, and some fortunate luck, the team was able to find a way to win and conserve a 0.5 game lead in the National League East.

Speaking of strong defense, his has been a theme for the Mets all season long. New York currently ranks seventh in defensive runs saved. Additionally, Fangraph’s fielding run value has the Mets ranked 13th and their total defensive rating at 14th. As has been the case with seemingly all of president of baseball operations, David Stearns’, teams, the Mets are a strong defensive ball club.

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