Tom Brennan - SMALL BALL CAN ACHIEVE BIG RESULTS

THE SMALL BALL WRITER ADVOCATES ON THIS HERALDED SITE ARE POUNDING THEIR CHESTS!  I'M SEEING THEIR POINT.

The Mets won 4-2 on Sunday to make it 2 of 3 against a mostly patchwork, small ball team in the Marlins, who left town 7-3.

Those wins in the last 2 games left the mighty, slugging Mets 7-9, 2 games behind the Marlins and 4 in the loss column, with 44 games to go.

Small Ball .333 hitting Andres Gimenez to the rescue - 3 hits, 3 runs, a bunt base hit, a steal, and flashing some leather.   

Somewhere in the background, I could swear I heard the song "Do the Hustle" playing.  

That was 3 of the Mets' 8 hits, as the offense forgets mostly how to produce hits.

Meanwhile, Dinosaur Pete went 0 for 4 with a key double play just after the 4th run was scored.  An error too.  We need the Dinosaur to go all Jurassic Park on us, because we can't win without T Rex.

Talk, meanwhile, is starting for Andres Gimenez for ROY.  But to get that, he will need to PLAY.

Jake's finger developed a sort of blister but he pushed through 5 frames and got the W.  A W he does not get without SMALL BALL.

The pen meanwhile is continuing to shape up.  Edwin Diaz made it interesting in the 8th, fanning two, then allowing a single and double, then fanning the next dude, too, to keep it at 4-2 for a subsequent Lugo save.

Edwin now has 6.1 IP and 13 Ks.  He is a flamethrower who hopefully can avoid speed bumps, as he has lately.  A lot of fans have understandable angst about a guy who, as a Met, has fanned a freaky 112 batters in 64 innings.

Today, the struggling Nats against the improving Mets.  Of course, like with Jake yesterday, it often comes down to match ups.  The Nats have the clear edge with Patrick Corbin over the oft-disappointing Steve Matz.  Maybe to win, we need more - SMALL BALL.

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