File photo/TheNYExtra.com
When the Mers began this 8 game road trip to DC and Pittsburgh, they knew they would be facing 2 hungry teams in the Nationals and Pirates that were contenders in that complex NL wild card race and that their bullpen severely undermanned with the Edwin Diaz suspension would put pressure on the ability to beat those teams.
And if game 1 of the road trip is any indication, they will need to rely on their high octane offense to secure victories on this trip. They did hang on in the first contest of the trip in a dramatic way on so many levels.. First of all, they plated 3 runs in the sixth inning to take a 3-2 lead on clutch RBI hits from both Mark Vientos and Francisco Alvarez but the Met bullpen gave up the tying run in the 8th inning and held the Nationals off in the ninth inning forcing the game into extra innings.
In the extra frame, the Mets plated 6 runs as JD Martinez and Jose Iglesias hit homers to give the Mets a six run lead. But the drama on this night was from over as the Nationals plated four runs and Met manager Carlos Mendoza was forced to go to Reed Garrett to get the game’s final out in a thrilling 9-7 win.
The victory puled the Mets back to the 500 mark and they now trail that third wild card spot by only one and half games. But it also illustrated how much the Mets are missing closer Edwin Diaz who has now served 6 games of his ten game suspension. The last 3 games have proven that the team missing Diaz as well as Drew Smith who is gone for the season, leaves them hamstrung in late pressure bullpen situations. To their credit, the team is 4-2 in the six games Diaz has missed but that is because their offense is a juggernaut right now hitting the long ball as well as any team in the sport.
When you are fighting for a playoff spot, you simply have to put games like this in the win column which is something this Met team has done so well in the past five weeks. In many ways, the poster child for that onslaught has been JD Martinez who once again provided the biggest hit in this crazy back and forth win. But this win also illustrated a never say die attitude that Carlos Mendoza has instiled in this clubhouse.
Prior to this game, the Mets realized Brandon Nimmo would be unavailable because he had a fainting spell that left hi with a bloody forehead spending most of the night at a local hospital. But this team has that “next man up” philosophy that has propelled them into winners and this night’s 9-7 win is yet another example of how this team gers to the finish line no matter what has occurred.
It could be a star player suspension, a host of injuries or recovering from tough moments inside a game but this team has the notion that they just can not be stopped no matter how many obstacles stand in the way. And that is why they have found themselves in a playoff race in a year many suggested the season was over for them just a few short weeks ago. That is the stuff winning teams are made of and this Met team shows us that mentality just about every day since the start of June.
