Mets vs. Phillies recap: d'Arnaud, Duda hit dingers, Niese pitches well enough as Mets sweep

The Mets completed a three-game sweep of the Phillies on Jackie Robinson Day behind a decent start by Jon Niese and a good bit of hitting several players, including Niese. Philadelphia is expected to be very bad this year. but even the worst teams in baseball win sixty-something games over the course of the season. So it’s great that the Mets capitalized on the opportunity to win all three games and now have a four-game winning streak overall.

In his second start of the season, Niese served up nine hits but just one run in six-and-one-third innings. He struck out four and walked two, but each time he got into trouble, he found a way out of it. The only run he surrendered came in the first inning, when Odubel Herrera tripled to begin the game and came in to score one out later on a Chase Utley ground out. A better opposing lineup might not be nearly as forgiving, but for now, Niese has a 1.59 ERA through two starts. He has a 4.12 FIP, though, which is not ideal.

Jerome Williams, who is now 33 years old and has bounced around a few teams in recent seasons, started for the Phillies. He pitched a scoreless first but gave up one run in the second, third, and fourth innings and two runs in the fifth, which was his final frame. Those runs came on a Juan Lagares single in the second, a Travis d’Arnaud home run in the third, a Niese single in the fourth, and a Lucas Duda home run and an Eric Campbell ground out in the fifth. The Mets tacked on a run in the sixth against the Phillies’ bullpen, as Duda doubled to bring d’Arnaud home.

In the early going this year, d’Arnaud and Duda have been impressive. Both have been well above league average at the plate. It’s still very early, but it’s better to see them raking than struggling. And Michael Cuddyer, who went 1-for-5 with a double in this game, is off to a good start. If those three keep hitting well, the Mets might win some ballgames in David Wright’s absence.

The Mets’ bullpen was good in this one, too. Niese left the game with one out in the seventh and runners on first and second, but Carlos Torres came on and induced an inning-ending ground ball double play. Alex Torres took over in the eighth and walked the first two Phillies he faced—which was frustrating given the Mets’ lead—but generated a few weak outs to prevent them from scoring. He looked sharper in the ninth, as he retired the side in order and notched a strikeout.

The Mets begin a four-game series with the Miami Marlins on Thursday night. Dillon Gee gets the start for the Mets, while Jarred Cosart will start for the Marlins.

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Win Probability Added

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Big winners: Travis d’Arnaud, +14.0% WPA, Jon Niese, +12.9% WPA, Juan Lagares, +12.3% WPA
Big losers: none
Teh aw3s0mest play: d’Arnaud’s dinger, +13.6% WPA
Teh sux0rest play: Odubel Herrera’s triple to lead off the game, -10.1% WPA
Total pitcher WPA: +16.7% WPA
Total batter WPA: +33.3% WPA
GWRBI!: Travis d’Arnaud