Daniel Murphy has been powering the Mets' offense, is 'locked in'

Last night, with two outs in the top of the seventh and David Wright at first base, Daniel Murphy lined a triple into right field, giving the Mets a 4-3 lead. He was driven in by Yoenis Cespedes, giving the Mets a much-needed insurance run in their 6-4 win over the Cincinnati Reds.

Murphy, who went 3-for-5 with two extra-base hits and two runs, was in the middle of both of the Mets' three-run innings Thursday night. In the third, he lined a single to right, sending Wright to third base. Wright would score on a Cespedes sacrifice fly, giving the Mets a 2-1 lead. Murphy scored on a Lucas Duda double.

Murphy's seventh-inning hit also solved a problem that seemed to have plagued the Mets during their homestand: leaving runners on base. In the Mets' two losses against the Atlanta Braves this week, New York stranded 14 baserunners. In those games, the Mets were just 3-for-16 with runners in scoring position.

"I think that two-out hit has been eluding us just a little bit," Murphy told reporters after the game.

Murphy is batting .282 on the year, with an OPS of .773, 36 doubles, and 13 home runs. He leads the team with 69 RBIs. More importantly, over the Mets' most recent nine-game homestand, he was one of the best hitters on a team whose offense slumped, batting .346 with an OPS of 1.140, six extra-base hits, and five RBIs in seven games.

Said Terry Collins about Murphy: "He's locked in. When that guy gets hot, nobody can get him out. And it's coming at the best time for us, too."