Friends new and old stood out in the Mets win over the Diamondbacks

Jacob deGrom’s last start turned into an epic disaster for the entire team so a crisp, no-muss no-fuss victory over the Diamondbacks was just what the doctor ordered. The win came at a good time after dropping a series to the Phillies and a bit of drama leaked out about Noah Syndergaard and Wilson Ramos.

After gutting out his last outing, deGrom put in a more vintage performance against Arizona. He was dominant from the first pitch, not giving much to a hot Diamondbacks offense to work with. He struck out eleven batters, including getting potential MVP-candidate Ketel Marte three times. Marte picked up the golden sombrero later when Seth Lugo struck him out in his final at bat.

For the entire night, the Diamondbacks only had four baserunners. deGrom only gave up three hits and a walk, and Seth Lugo retired all six batters he faced. Lugo effectively shutting the door was a particularly welcome sight given what happened to the bullpen in deGrom’s last start. Lugo was never in any danger and struck out four in two innings of work to pick up the save.

The only pitching blemish was a Wilmer Flores home run which, all things considered, was not really a blemish. Flores was welcomed back warmly and even shared a wink and a laugh with deGrom during his first at-bat.

The real difference-maker in the game was Pete Alonso. The rest off the offense had a bit of a rough night although they did get lucky when the Diamondbacks played with five infielders against Wilson Ramos. He drove a ball to center that neither outfielder could get to which dropped for a double. He eventually scored on a single by Amed Rosario.

Outside of that gift, it was Alonso who stood out. He blasted home runs 46 and 47 off Arizona starter Merill Kelly in the first and fifth innings. Besides the home runs, it was a noteworthy night for the young slugger, who broke Jose Reyes’ and Darryl Strawberry’s shared record of a 33-game single-season on-base streak. Alonso now stands alone at 34. The two blasts also put him in the lead in the home run race. He entered the night tied with Mike Trout and is now three ahead of three players tied at 44 in the National League.

Overall, it was a well played, drama-free game as the Mets desperately cling to the outskirts of the playoff race. It was a small step but one that needed to be taken nonetheless.

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Win Probability Added

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What’s WPA?

Big winners: Jacob deGrom +27.1%, Pete Alonso +20.4%, Seth Lugo +12.5%, Amed Rosario +11.1%
Big losers: Robinson Cano -10.3%
Total pitcher WPA: +39.6%
Total batter WPA: +10.4%
Teh aw3s0mest play: Pete Alonso home run in fifth
Teh sux0rest play: Wilmer Flores home run in fifth