The New York Mets defeated the Atlanta Braves Wednesday night, winning 7-3. The win pushes the team to 38-31 on the season, 4 games ahead of the Nationals for first place in the NL East.
Before the game, the activation of Michael Conforto off of the injured list earned some headlines, and rightfully so. The 28-year old outfielder is a key factor in the Mets’ playoff hopes. So, having him back, along with Jeff McNeil, is huge for the team.
Conforto and McNeil helped get the offense going early as the Mets scored 5 quick runs through the first two innings. McNeil drove in a run on a single and went 3-5 overall. Michael Conforto reasserted himself quickly, ripping a double down the right-field line in his first at-bat since May 16 and scoring two runs
Francisco Lindor had the big blow, blasting a two-run homer to extend the lead to five, his ninth of the year. That would be all the Mets needed, but not all they got.
Francisco Lindor goes deep!
The #Mets offense keeps rolling, 5-0 already #LGM | #LFGM
— Brendan Carpenter (@brendan_carp) June 23, 2021
However, along with Conforto and McNeil returning, the team endured some blows to the pitching staff. Robert Gsellman was moved to the 60-day IL, Marcus Stroman is day-to-day with hip discomfort and Joey Luchessi needs Tommy John surgery.
As a result, the Mets turned to Tylor Megill for his Major League debut.
Tylor Megill gets William Contreras for his first MLB strikeout! pic.twitter.com/ShCp1nfu3v
— SNY (@SNYtv) June 23, 2021
Megill wasn’t overly dominant by any means, but pitched well enough for the Mets to earn the win against a division opponent. The 25-year old pitched 4.1 innings and struck out four while allowing two runs in his debut.
Other than the home run he gave up to Ender Inciarte in the fifth inning, he seemed in control for the most part.
Of course, the Mets victory didn’t come without some anxiety. Miguel Castro, who relieved Megill in the fifth, quickly loaded the bases, but he didn’t fold. Castro, who has had some great moments, and some not-so-great ones so far this season, escaped possibly detrimental damage in his short relief outing.
Behind him, Corey Oswalt pitched a fantastic 2.1 innings of relief and Edwin Diaz secured his second five-out save, 16th overall. The outing from the entire pitching staff was a great sight as injuries have begun to pile up even more.
The New York Mets will have their final off-day before the All-Star break tomorrow, followed by 17 straight days with a game. They will look to use this win to start a nice stretch over the next few weeks.