A mediocre R.A. Dickey start is still pretty darn good. Such a start is exactly what we saw in this afternoon's 6-2 Mets win, as Dickey gave up two runs in 6.2 innings of work despite not having his best stuff. Consider that Dickey:
- threw a first-pitch strike 13 times in 28 opportunities, or 46.4%, below his season mark of 63.4%;
- tallied 10 swinging strikes out of 104 pitches, or 9.6%, below his season mark of 12.4%;
- allowed a home run to the opposing pitcher, Adam Wainwright;
- posted a Game Score of 54, his 19th best of the season in 28 starts; and
- said after the game "I didn't have a great feel for it."
Dickey also struck out five and walked just one while allowing a lone extra-base hit, the home run by Wainwright in the third inning. He also had an in-game groundball rate of 54.5%. A 5:1 K/BB ratio and above-average groundball rate? Not bad. Again, a mediocre Dickey start is still pretty darn good. Your move, Johnny Cueto.
Ike Davis was the Mets' hitting star. He went 1-for-3 with a three-run home run and two walks. The longball gave the Mets a 5-1 lead in the fifth inning, which is all the lead needed with Dickey on the mound. Davis' season line is now .224/.299/.451. Still not good for a first baseman, but a welcome improvement over his heinous early season slash line.
Several other Mets had solid days at the plate. Daniel Murphy went 3-for-5 with three singles; Josh Thole went 2-for-4 with an RBI single which put the Mets ahead 1-0 in the second inning; and Justin Turner went 2-for-4 with two doubles. Turner has a higher OPS (.734) than Murphy (.731) -- (ducks).
The Cardinals didn't score in 2.1 innings against the Mets' bullpen. Josh Edgin struck out the only batter he faced, David Freese, and Jon Rauch and Frank Francisco each worked a scoreless inning. The game ended strangely. Cardinals outfielder Adron Chambers was on first base with one out in the ninth inning when pinch hitter Yadier Molina flew out to right field. Chambers had touched second base on the play and retreated to first base after Mike Baxter made the catch. One problem: he forgot to retouch second on his way back to first. The Mets successfully appealed; game over. This provides an excuse to post this classic video of THE WORST BASERUNNING IN THE HISTORY OF THE GAME:
The Mets are now 65-72, one game behind the Phillies for third place in the NL East. Thursday is an off day. Chipper Jones and the Braves come to town on Friday for the final time this season; it's the final time ever, in Chipper's case. Here are the pitching matchups for the series:
Friday, September 7th: LHP Jon Niese vs LHP Paul Maholm
Saturday, September 8th: RHP Jeremy Hefner vs RHP Kris Medlen
Sunday, September 9th: RHP Chris Young vs RHP Tommy Hanson
SB Nation Coverage
* Traditional Recap
* Box Score
* Amazin' Avenue Gamethread
* Viva El Birdos Gamethread
Win Probability Added
Big winners: Ike Davis +17.3%, R.A. Dickey +15.7% (as pitcher)
Big losers: Ruben Tejada -4.3%, Andres Torres -4.2%
Teh aw3s0mest play: Ike Davis three-run home run in the fifth inning +18.0%
Teh sux0rest play: Adam Wainwright solo home run in the third inning -11.3%
Total pitcher WPA: +22.2%
Total batter WPA: +27.8%
GWRBI!: Ike Davis three-run home run in the fifth inning