Like Johan Santana yesterday, R.A. Dickey was dominant against the Padres this afternoon. In 7.1 innings, Dickey struck out 10, walked just 1, and did not allow a run. Over his last there starts, Dickey has 29 strikeouts and just 2 walks in 20.1 innings. He is now the owner of a stellar 3.06 ERA, and it looks like he is even better than he was in 2010 and 2011. After a winter in which the Mets were written off as a complete joke, it sure is a lot of fun to watch Dickey and Santana pitch on a regular basis.
The Mets' bats didn't do a whole lot, but a Daniel Murphy RBI single in the first gave them an early lead, and Mike Baxter scored on a passed ball in the fifth for the Mets' second and final run of the day. Ike Davis didn't make any progress this afternoon as he went 0-for-3 with a pair of strikeouts, but he was not alone in his struggles at the plate.
When Dickey ran into a bit of trouble in the eighth inning, the bullpen came in and closed out the game without issue. Tim Byrdak retired the only two batters he faced after entering the game for Dickey with runners on first and second and one out, and Frank Francisco pitched a one-two-three ninth inning to finish the game.
Yes, the Mets played the Pirates and Padres, two of the worst offensive teams in the game this season, over the past seven games. But they mostly did what they should have done against both teams, and they now 27-21 as they prepare to host the Phillies for three games beginning tomorrow afternoon at 1:10 pm.
SB Nation Coverage
* Traditional Recap
* Boxscore
* Amazin' Avenue Gamethread
* Gaslamp Ball Gamethread
Win Probability Added
Big winners: R.A. Dickey, +33.8% WPA, Tim Byrdak, +14.7% WPA, Daniel Murphy, +10.8% WPA
Big losers: Ike Davis, -8.1% WPA
Teh aw3s0mest play: Daniel Murphy's rib-eye single in the first, +10.3% WPA
Teh sux0rest play: R.A. Dickey's walk of Chris Denorfia in the eighth, -6.8% WPA
Total pitcher WPA: +55.5% WPA
Total batter WPA: -5.5% WPA
GWRBI!: Daniel Murphy