File photo/TheNYExtra.com
On a day when they were snubbed by the All Star Selection Committee Brandon Nimmo and Francisco Lindor illustrated why they are All Star worthy as the Mets beat the Pirates 3-2.
This was a pitchers duel for most of the game as Sean Manea threw six scoreless innings giving up only 2 hits as he continues to pitch well for the Mets. The Mets took a 1-0 lead on a booming Brandon Nimmo run coring double but the Pirates tool a 2-1 lead in the bottom half of the frame on a Nick Gonzalez 2 run single.
So the Mets had just 3 outs to come back in this one against Aroldis Chapman and made the most out of that chance. Francisco Alvarez led off with a walk and moved to second on a Harrison Bader single but after two Chapman strikeouts Julio Iglesias carved out an intense at bat walking after being down in the count 0-2 to load the bases.
That brought Francisco Lindor to the plate who laced a single plating 2 runs to give the Mets the lead. And Edwin Diaz threw a 1-2-3 ninth to earn his second win in as many days. The win brought the Mets back to the 500 mark and they climbed to within 2 games of that final NL Wild Card playoff spot.
In my opinion, both Francisco Lindor and Brandon Nimmo were all star worthy. I do realize that filling out those rosters is very challenging but in the case of Nimmo this is the second straight year he should have been there. The duo of Nimmo & Lindor has really fueled the resurgence of the Mets constantly being on base to give this offense the chance to put together these last 5 weeks to put the team back in the playoff race.
As for Lindor, he is the sports best shortstop aside from Mookie Betts as he has combined his ability to get on base and hit the long ball with a defensive presence at shortstop that makes every play with ease because watching him play the position is like watching someone playing shortstop on roller skates.Speaking to both of them yesterday they said all the right things saying that Pete Alonso (the Mets lone All Star Rep) totally deserved it and they both said who knows–things could happen with players that the team may need to tweak the roster due to a variety of factors.
But make no mistake–these 2 players are All-Stars and proved it on the field in Pittsburgh on Sunday.
