The Mets pulled off their late-inning magic once again in their 4-3 win over the Cleveland Indians in 10 innings. Wednesday night’s game was one filled with disappointment, happiness, and hope. The win put the Mets at 66-60, their best record all season.
Stroman Injury
Marcus Stroman left his start after four innings due to hamstring tightness. He suffered the injury covering first base and felt it tighten up. The Mets were forced to get six innings out of their bullpen due to Stroman’s exit. The Mets are not too concerned about the tightness and Stroman should be expected to make his next start.
What a run for this #Mets team. They have had this resiliency all year long. They do not quit. This is a damn fine Cleveland ball club and they found a way to get it done with their backs to the wall.
Now with a functional bullpen, the sky maybe the limit. #LFGM
— Michael Baron (@michaelgbaron) August 22, 2019
The Mets bullpen did a terrific job of keeping the Mets in the game and giving them a chance to win. Seth Lugo pitched two brilliant innings along with Jeurys Familia, Brad Brach, Justin Wilson and Luis Avilan providing one inning help as well. Mickey Callaway decided not to bring in Edwin Diaz in the 10th inning and went with Avilan who allowed a solo home run to Carlos Santana to give the Indians a 3-2 lead. Callaway could have brought in Diaz, but it was not a bad move to keep Avilan in the game after he retired the first two batters.
Doing What Winning Teams Do
The Mets played the type of baseball is needed to win in October. The bottom of the order supplied the first two runs of the game. Juan Lagares perfectly executed a hit and run which led to the first Mets run. Since Lagares has received consistent playing time starting on August 3rd, he is hitting .326/.408/.422 along with a huge improvement in his defense. A month ago it seemed like his time as a Met would end after the season, but he has shown why the Mets had hope in him.
Where did this version of Juan Lagares come from? We always knew he could play center, but he’s raking too. #LGM pic.twitter.com/P86eJn384v
— ESNY (@EliteSportsNY) August 22, 2019
The second Mets run came from Luis Guillorme, who has proved to be a key asset off the bench. His pinch-double gave the Mets a 2-1 lead. Guillorme is only hitting .209 on the season but is a .263 hitter off the bench to go along with his slick fielding.
The 10th inning
If you asked 1986 how to create a perfect comeback, this is how they would describe it. The Mets were down one against Brad Hand, who has already blown three saves in the second half. Combine that with the Mets never say die attitude and you have a recipe for success. Amed Rosario started things off with a double, which set the table for a perfectly executed bunt by Joe Panik.
Joe Panik, with the #Mets
-Hitting .343.
-seven-game hitting streak.
-Hit in all eight starts since joining the club.#Mets— Michael Baron (@michaelgbaron) August 22, 2019
The bunt is an overlooked play because it forced the hand of Indians Manager Terry Francona. He had the choice of either pitching to Pete Alonso or intentional walking him to get the favorable lefty on lefty matchup against Michael Conforto. Francona decided to put Alonso, the winning run, on first base. The move almost worked out for the Indians, but instead of trying to throw out Rosario at home, they tried to turn two on Conforto’s weak ground ball. No one was able to cover first and the Mets tied the game.
The Mets tie the game when the Indians forgot to cover first base on a potential game-ending double play. Michael Conforto gets the RBI on the grounder to first.
Mets 3, Indians 3, bottom 10
— Tim Healey (@timbhealey) August 22, 2019
This was all followed by Wilson Ramos rumbling down the first baseline on his swinging bunt to get his hitting streak to 15-games. J.D. Davis put together a terrific at-bat to get the count from 0-2 to 3-2 and lined a double to left field to pull off another miracle in Flushing. The win is the fourth straight for the Mets and their second straight against a strong team.
The Mets attempt the sweep Thursday with Noah Syndergaard on the mound before they start a key three game series with the Atlanta Braves. The win also put the Mets 1.5 games behind the Cardinals in the NL wild card race.