The Mets played their best game of the season last night [Thursday]. They still failed miserably in bringing home runners in scoring position, but just about everything else they did was a huge upgrade over most of their previous efforts, particularly the defense. After being almost unwatchable for most of their first dozen games, last night's win was compelling and rather fun. At one point I actually thought to myself, oh yeah, this is why I love baseball. That moment came in the Nationals' half of the fourth inning when the whole game turned on a couple of great defensive efforts.
Until that half inning, the game wasn't looking like anything that was going to make me happy. The Mets had first and third with no outs in the top of the first, and only managed a single run out of it on Dom Smith's sacrifice fly. Porcello gave that lead right back in the bottom of the inning, and I thought to myself, here we go again. But it wasn't quite déjà vu, because even though the Mets squandered baserunners in the second and third innings, Porcello put up a couple of zeros.
The Mets scratched out a second run in the top of the fourth, but also left men on base. In the bottom of the frame Soto singled leading off for the Nats, and it just kind of felt like Porcello was going to cough up the lead, maybe even worse. Then, after a flyout, our old friend Asdrubal Cabrera singles to right field, Soto's motoring to third, and the game is going in the wrong direction fast. Michael Conforto (in RF where he's pretty good, not CF where he's not) makes a great throw to third, but Soto beats it. It's going to be first and third, one out - only Soto overslides third, Andres Gimenez makes a heads-up play and keeps the tag on him, and there's two outs with a man on first. J.D. Davis makes a great play on a ball that Thames hits that looks destined for the left field corner, then throws him out from his knees, and the inning is over.
I thought I might have been in the Twilight Zone for a minute, but then I realized that I was watching a Mets game where good defenders were playing the right positions. Porcello seemed to realize it, too, because he started looking relaxed and pounding the zone with sinkers. He didn't allow another baserunner as he became the first Mets starter to pitch 7 innings. It was almost stunning.
Injuries basically forced the Mets into fielding a good defensive team and, at least for one day, they reaped the rewards from it. They still left a zillion guys on base, and the game was a nail biter all the way through, but they won the game in a manner that was actually fun to watch despite the continued struggles plating baserunners.
As good as Porcello wound up pitching in that game, it really felt like it could have gone a completely different way if those plays weren't made behind him in the fourth inning. It was so obviously the turning point of that game. If - and I stress the word if - the Mets can string a few good performances together and climb back in the race, that inning might prove to be a major turning point on the season. Either way, after a lot of bad baseball over the first couple of weeks of the season, that game was a joy to watch.
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Porcello needs to string together 2-3 more in a row like that to get people believing he was once and still is a quality starting pitcher. Is he worth $10 million per year? Right now the answer is no. If he can get his ERA under 3.50 then perhaps he is.
ReplyDeleteCano being out is addition by subtraction. Fortunately we’re only on the hook for (*checks notes*) 3 years and $72 million AFTER this year. Thanks Brodie.
ReplyDeleteMcNeil needs to be at 2B most games, and Gimenez needs to be out there somewhere most days. The kid is a player, and terrific defensively.