Mets double the fun in doubleheader sweep of Marlins

The Mets pulled off two thrilling wins to take down the Miami Marlins and get to one game over .500 o Monday. They took two different routes to get there, but their stars each stood out by the time the night was over.

The first star was Jacob deGrom, who always shines brightest in the daytime. In the first game, he had another Jacob deGrom start. He was shaky early and could not keep an early one-run lead handed to him by Jeff McNeil. The Marlins were aggressive and teeing off early, and he had to continuously work out of trouble in the first three innings. Some luck was on his side in the first when aggressive Marlins baserunning cost them an out a third that could’ve gone the other way upon replay review.

After two doubles tied the game in the second, deGrom was able to finish the inning without further damage and he did again in the third when Jon Berti led off the inning with another double. The Mets’ ace settled in after that, and after Amed Rosario handed him the lead in the bottom of the inning with a solo home run, it was all deGrom would need. However, he was not satisfied and added his own insurance runs with a RBI single with the bases loaded. Pete Alonso added on in the fifth with another bases loaded knock to further the Mets’ lead.

deGrom had one other blemish when he allowed Isan Diaz to hit his first career home run in his big league debut, but for the most part deGrom was dominant. He pitched seven innings and struck out eight against a team he does sometimes struggle with. Justin Wilson and Edwin Diaz both allowed baserunners but finished off the Marlins without incurring any further damage and to get the Mets to .500.

In the second game the Mets had to work for their win. The lineup was filled with bench players, Walker Lockett got the spot start, and Jeff McNeil exited early with a leg cramp. Michael Conforto got them out to an early lead against starter Sandy Alcantara, but Lockett could not hold it. He exited with the game tied in the fifth and runners on. Robert Gsellman could not stop the bleeding and gave up a two-run double to old friend Curtis Granderson which put Miami out in front.

Gsellman and Jeurys Familia kept the deficit at two which allowed the offense to go to work. J.D. Davis came in with Gsellman during a double switch in the fifth. With so many other regular pieces of the lineup missing, it was up to the everyday starters to get the job done. J.D. Davis has become one of those pieces, and after working a nice at-bat against Jeff Brigham, he blasted an opposite field home run to pull the Mets to within one in the seventh.

With Robinson Cano out for the foreseeable future it will be up to the Mets young stars now to step up during the home stretch. So far, Conforto has done just that and he continued his tear with a mammoth blast that went to the back of the Coca-Cola Corner to tie the game.

Finally, Pete Alonso has looked lost since the All-Star break but no question he is a rising star both for the Mets and for Major League Baseball. He had started to pick up some hits and seemed to be coming out of his slump a bit but the power was still missing. That all changed when he hit a laser down the left field line that sent the Citi Field crowd into a frenzy. Comeback complete.

Seth Lugo came out after all the excitement and pitched an easy breezy eighth. He stayed out for the ninth and in his hands the lead never seemed in doubt. Groundout. Strikeout. Groundout. Ballgame.

The team is back over .500 for the first time since May 2, and for one day at least, all seems a bit brighter in Queens.

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Amazin’ Avenue Game 1
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Fish Stripes Game 1
Fish Stripes Game 2

Box scores

ESPN Game 1
ESPN Game 2
MLB.com Game 1
MLB.com Game 2

Win Probability Added

Game 1

Fangraphs.com

What’s WPA?

Big winners: Jacob deGrom +14.4%, Amed Rosario +12.2%
Big losers: None
Total pitcher WPA: +17.3%
Total batter WPA: +32.7%
Teh aw3s0mest play: Amed Rosario home run in third
Teh sux0rest play: Starlin Castro RBI double in second

Game 2

Fangraphs.com

Big winners: Pete Alonso +33.5%, Michael Conforto +33.3%, Seth Lugo +25.4%, J.D. Davis +22.9%
Big losers: Robert Gsellman -22.1%, Luis Guillorme -14.6%, Adeiny Hechavarria -11.8%, Juan Lagares -10.4%
Total pitcher WPA: -1.1%
Total batter WPA: 51.1%
Teh aw3s0mest play: Michael Conforto home run in seventh
Teh sux0rest play: Curtis Granderson double in fifth