Cabrera’s pinch-hit home run, Rosario’s two home runs lead Syndergaard, Mets to victory

After enduring a gloomy week of gray, drizzly games, Sunday afternoon was finally a beautiful day for baseball. And the Mets entered the day with bright prospects for a sweep, as the Diamondbacks pushed back Zack Greinke for extra rest and called up Clay Buchholz to make his first start of the year against Noah Syndergaard. Buchholz pitched well, carrying a 1-0 lead into the bottom of the sixth, but the Mets struck quickly with three home runs in the sixth and seventh to seize the lead and take the game.

The Diamondbacks scratched out a run in the top of the second for an early lead. A pair of singles put runners on first and third, where a slow chopper by Jeff Mathis brought in the first run of the game. Meanwhile, the Mets could manage only a two-out first inning Wilmer Flores double and a Tomas Nido walk against Buchholz through the first five.

Arizona had a chance to extend their lead in the top of the fifth when Mathis reached on a Flores error to start the inning, but Jay Bruce made a nice throw on a David Peralta single to throw out Mathis (on a somewhat dubious send by Diamondback third base coach Tony Perezchica).

Buchholz entered the bottom of the sixth having retired 10 in a row, but Amed Rosario promptly ended that streak—and Buchholz’s day—when he deposited the second pitch of the inning over the left field wall for his first home run of the season to tie the game.

Syndergaard cruised through the seventh (going that far for the second time this year) before being lifted for a pinch hitter with Nido on first after a single and two outs in the bottom of the inning. Said pinch-hitter—Asdrubal Cabrera—launched a two-run home to give the Mets a 3-1 lead.

Rosario promptly followed on the very next pitch with his second home run of the game—kudos to those preaching some patience with the 22 year-old shortstop—for an additional insurance run. The bullpen took it from there, with Jerry Blevins making a successful one batter return from paternity leave, striking out David Peralta, followed by Robert Gsellman recording the final five outs—striking out the side in the ninth—to secure his first career save, and the Mets’ first home three-game series sweep since September 2016 against the Minnesota Twins.

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What’s WPA?

Big winners: Asdrubal Cabrera, +33.8% WPA, Noah Syndergaard, +26.2% WPA, Amed Rosario, +22.4% WPA
Big losers:
Teh aw3s0mest play: Asdrubal Cabrera’s pinch-hit home run in the seventh inning, +33.8%
Teh sux0rest play: Nick Ahmed’s second inning single, -6.9%
Total pitcher WPA: 33.2% WPA+
Total batter WPA: 16.8% WPA+
GWRBI!: Asdrubal Cabrera