After being away for a week unable to cover the Mets games, it was nice to come back and post that they have won 7 of their last 9 games. The latest victory is a 8-2 pounding of the Atlanta Braves taking game two of a three-game series. The Mets won the last game 6-3. They have definitely shown signs of being the National League Champions they are and Jacob deGrom will be returning to the team.
Now before the comments start that it’s because I stopped writing about them that they started winning, let’s focus on why they really started winning.
- Steven Matz has found his groove – he’s had two strong starts in a row. In his last start a week ago, he pitched 7 scoreless innings and had a career high nine strikeouts in his last start on April 17 at Cleveland. Against the Atlanta Braves, Matz came into the game 1-1, 7.27 ERA and ended up pitching 6.1 innings and struck out 8 Braves. “I saw him moving the ball around the zone too,” Mets manager Terry Collins said. “Not just mixing it up. He located, he located very well tonight. There are a couple pitches he wanted back. He left a couple balls out. The ball to Freeman. He tried to get it down and away and left it over the plate.”
- The Mets bats are exploding. David Wright had two doubles in six at bats, although he struck out three times as well. Conforto went two for three while Curtin Granderson, Travis D’Arnaud and Juan Lagares all went 2 for 5. Curtist Granderson hit his first grand slam a couple of nights ago.
- The Mets have hit 21 home runs in their last seven games, the most home runs over any seven-game span in franchise history. The previous mark was 20 home runs over seven games from June 27-July 4, 2004…Research courtesy of Elias.
- Over his last seven games, Cespedes is batting .345 (10-29) with three doubles, one triple, four home runs and 11 RBI. Cespedes is tied for sixth in the majors with 14 RBIs. Since the Mets have scored in the first inning in six of their last eight games and are 9-3 when they score first this year.
- In the ninth inning, Neil Walker and Asdrubal Cabrera hit back-to-back home runs, the fourth time New York has done that this season. The Braves have homered just three times this season and the Mets have outhomered them 23-0 dating back to April 14.
- They have gotten a handle on their butter fingers. After making one error two nights ago, the New York Mets have committed just five errors on the season, tied with Washington
for the fewest in the majors.
The Mets are now 4-6 against teams in their division.
Tomorrow, April 25, the series finale will have Jacob deGrom returning to the mound after the scary situation he went through with his newborn son. Thankfully the little deGrom seems to be on the men and that has allowed deGrom to do what he can.
“He’s in there hooked up to those monitors, so you find yourself constantly watching these monitors, and you’re just hoping they don’t go back down,” Jason deGrom said.
He was also quoted as saying, “It was tough to leave, knowing Stacey was going to have to be in there and having to keep going up there with him,” deGrom said. “But I knew I had to go get some work done, and I think it was a time, a little bit to get my mind off of things and get away for a little bit. I think that helped me out.”
