The Bats and Bullpen do their things in win

The Mets day started with a surprise, and one you never want to hear. Mere hours before the first pitch, David Peterson — scheduled starter for the game and noted second best pitcher in the rotation — was placed on the injured list with the vague diagnosis of “shoulder fatigue”. This thrust Corey Oswalt into the rotation for a spot start, putting the Mets in a tough spot before the game even started.

Be that as it may, the Mets won by the score of 8-3, taking the first two games of the series. Oswalt pitched about as good as one could reasonably expect when you factor in the circumstances. His first time through the order was excellent, as he allowed just one hit in that span; a lead off single to Jonathan Villar, who he subsequently picked off.

The Mets offense gave him a lead as well, as they continued hitting after their strong performance in the previous game. Brandon Nimmo hit a homer in the third inning to make it 1-0 in the third. Just Dingers Davis lived up to his moniker, swatting a solo shot of his own in the fourth inning. The Mets tacked on another in that inning, as Dom Smith continued to just absolutely destroy virtually every baseball he comes across, hitting a ground rule double that saw Scooter scamper home, pushing the lead to 3-0.

Oswalt started to crack in the bottom of the fourth, as he surrendered two runs to the Marlins in the frame. He got a bit unlucky, as Jesus Aguilar hit a double on a ball approximately one million feet outside of the zone to drive in the first run, and Brian Anderson chased him home, going with a good pitch. Oswalt would get one out in the fifth, but he could not get himself in line for a win. Regardless, he was good, especially since he was informed of his role in the game when he arrived at the stadium before the game.

The Mets bullpen put on a clinic for the next 3.2 innings, as the trio of Justin Wilson, Jared Hughes, and Dellin Betances combined to allow zero runs, three hits, and strike out three.

The Mets bats matched the Marlins silence in the fifth and sixth innings, but woke back up in a big way in the 7th and 8th. Amed Rosario started the score back up for the Mets, hitting and absolute tank, pulling a baseball 434 feet, and putting the Mets up 4-2. The Mets then broke it open in the eighth.

Michael Conforto started it off by sacrificing his body for The Team, getting hit by a pitch with one out. Robinson Cano followed him with a hard-hit double, his only hit of the game, making it second and third with one out. The Marlins inexplicably walked Pete Alonso, loading the bases for Dom Smith, current owner of a .310/.391/.741 slash line, good for a whopping 195 wRC+. Facing lefty Stephen Tarpley, Smith earned what might be the easiest RBI he will ever earn, walking on four pitches that were not particularly close. Brad Boxburger came in to face Rosario with the bases loaded, and Rosie subsequently drove in two on a single. Nimmo drove in another with a single, and the Mets took an 8-2 lead into the ninth.

The Mets loaded the bases yet again in the ninth inning with one out, but Billy Hamilton and Rosario adhered to the Almighty Unwritten Rule and did not drive in any runs, due to the size of the Mets’ lead, grounding out and striking out to end the inning.

Edwin Diaz, fresh off a long layoff, came in for the bottom of the ninth, and had a tumultuous outing. He, frankly, looked bad, allowing a double and two singles to cut the lead to 8-3. Rojas stuck with Diaz, and Diaz rewarded him with three very aesthetically pleasing strike outs to put the game in the books.

One thing to keep an eye on: Jeff McNeil looked rather labored out there, and was double switched out of the game for Andres Gimenez.

A little known fellow named Jacob deGrom will take the hill tomorrow, facing off against Pablo Lopez in Miami in a 7:10 start.

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What’s WPA?

Big Mets winner: Brandon Nimmo, +20.2 WPA
Big Mets loser: Jeff McNeil, -8.0% WPA
Mets pitchers: +25.1% WPA
Mets hitters: +24.9 WPA
Teh aw3s0mest play: Brandon Nimmo’s third inning homer, and Amed Rosario’s 7th inning homer, both +12.4 WPA
Teh sux0rest play: Brian Anderson’s fourth inning RBI single, -10.8% WPA