File Photo/TheNYExtra.com
The Mets came to the ballpark today knowing that Edwin Diaz would be in the plans to save a game in the final inning and that seemed to recharge the batteries of the team as they beat the Pirates 5-2.
From an offensive standpoint, they received a big bases clearing double from Luis Torrens plus a big RBI hit from Julio Iglesias to give the Mets a 5-0 lead. And the bullpen bridge guys-Jose Butto, Reed Garret and Dedniel Nunez gave Edwin Diaz a chance for a save on his return. The Met closer registered the save for a 5-2 win in a game the Mets badly needed to win.
The victory also clinched the important tiebreaker over the Pirates which could become key in the final weeks of this wild card chase. Currently, the Mets own tiebreakers over every team in the wild card hunt aside from the San Francisco Giants. They have clinched the tiebreaker versus the Cubs, Pirates and Cardinals and have an edge in head to head with both the Padres and Diamondbacks making those series later in the year very important.
The feeling I got in the Met clubhouse both before and after the game was that the return of Edwin Diaz gave this team a sense of normalcy and it should also be noted that David Peterson continues to give the Mets steady and solid starts. He did not get the win today but handed the ball over to the bullpen with a 3 run lead giving them every chance to enter the game with a bit of a cushion to solidify the win.
Tomorrow in game 3 of this 4 game series, Sean Manea gets the ball and much like Peterson he has pitched well of late. And the Met offense hitting that 5 run mark they were meeting with regularity in their hot month of June was so good to see. And they did it with 8 of the 9 members of the lineup reaching base keeping traffic on those base paths in the hopes of getting big RBI hits which they received on this day.
8 games left before the All Star Break and going 5-3 would put them over 500 on the break. Finishing up this weekend set with the Pirates in the win column would be the first step towards getting to that goal which seemed so unlikely at the end of May
