Mets Snap Losing Streak, by Tony Plate

                                               

SAFE AT THE PLATE, WITH TONY PLATE

The New York Mets rallied from a 5-3 deficit in the eighth inning and snapped their rough seven game losing streak by defeating the Atlanta Braves 8-5 this past Sunday night. It was a victory that the Mets badly needed. 

The losing streak was frustrating for the Mets as their bullpen kept failing to come through over and over and they were not scoring that many runs.

The bullpen was supposed to be a strength of the team since there were additions to the bullpen during the Winter such as Edwin Diaz who was one of the best closers in baseball and who is a light’s out type of strikeout pitcher with a fastball that can hit triple digits on a radar plus he had 57 saves in 2018.

General Manager Brodie Van Wagenen felt that the Mets would be the favorite to win the division based on the changes to the bullpen and the additions to the depth. It is surprising that the Mets are struggling during this point of the season. They are twelve games out of first place and nine games under five hundred.

Nobody thought the Mets would be in this position, especially with the starting rotation. It does not look good for the Mets. 

However, as Yogi Berra said “It ain’t over until it’s over” and as the 1969 proved there is such thing as a miracle so maybe the Mets can get something going such as a huge winning streak.

In other baseball news the Mets and the city paid tribute to the 1969 World Series winning team that put the franchise on the map fifty years ago this past Saturday. Long before the first pitch, thousands of Mets fans could not wait to pack Citi Field for this great event to see the first Mets team to win a world championship. They were waving the orange 1969 pennant flags.

As the players sat in their seats on the stage there were 1969 Topps baseball cards that were blown up to huge size that were placed above each player which looked cool. The Mets reenacted the 1969 World Series parade with players riding in style in old-school convertible cars. The players were presented keys to New York City by Mayor Bill de Blasio. 

Also, Peter Alonso and Jeff McNeil were selected as National League All-Star reserves.

In other sports news the NBA began their free agency period and the Brooklyn Nets signed both Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving while the New York Knicks passed on the chance to sign Durant due to his Achilles injury that occurred during the NBA Finals and instead signed Julius Randle.