Once again the Mets have taken a series at home from an elite team as they beat the Brewers 3-2 in come from behind fashion which is becoming a recent trend for the Amazins
In this contest Jacob deGrom gave up 2 solo homers in his 7 innings of work and the Mets trailed 2-1 going into their final at bat against hard throwing closer Josh Hafer. But once again, Jose Peraza came off the bench to deliver in the clutch as he crushed a game tying home run. That sent the game into extra innings where a bases loaded hit batsmen by Edwin Diaz gave the Brewers the lead but the Mets were far from done.
In the bottom half of the frame, Brent Suter took the mound for the Brewers and the never say die Mets once again shoed that “survive and advance” mentality that they have shown all year. Dom Smith was hit by a pitch and James McCann followed with a walk setting the stage for Jeff McNeil who carved a 2 out single through the infield to give the Mets another walk off win.
This Met team continues to take losses and like a giant pencil eraser carve them into wins. But the story after this game was what is next for Jacob deGrom? Pitching today could have carved him into an All Star start but the Mets have left the possibility he could start Sunday on short rest even for a brief appearance. And that seemed more likely when deGrom reiterated after the game he was skipping the All Star trip to Denver.
He made it clear that his commitment was to the team and wanted to rest up during the break to ready himself for the second half of the season. He even suggested he would find a way to convince baseball to give his spot to teammate Taijuan Walker who is certainly deserving of an All Star spot.
Meanwhile Jose Peraza continues to excel in his pinch hitting role getting a huge hit off the bench for a third time in a week. Even when JD Davis returns, the Mets will likely find a role for him as it deepens the bench depth for the team in the second half.
The win gives the Mets a 45-37 record and a 4.5 game lead in the NL East over the second place Phils. They lead the Braves and Nats by 5 games with a 5 game loss column lead over the Phils while the Nats trail by 6 in the loss column and the Braves trail by 7 in that important column in the standings.