Just Mets

The Mets shutout the Nationals by the score of 4-0 on Friday night at Citi Field. Here are my takeaways from Friday’s win…

A fine pitchers duel.

Until the eighth inning, of course…

The game went precisely as advertised. The two star aces were stingy right from the beginning and they turned it into a spectacular, competitive pitchers duel all night long. Matt Harvey was just a shade better than Max Scherzer, but both deserve credit for their spectacular performances. Fortunately for the Mets, they held it down just a bit better than Scherzer, and held on for a much needed win.

Batman to the rescue.

Harvey was awesome. But the funny thing is, he wasn’t really on top of his game – he didn’t have a single 1-2-3 innings in his seven frames.

But, that’s how incredibly good this guy is. He’s a pitcher, he understood his limitations tonight, and pitched to the strength of what he brought to the table tonight. He used his off-speed to off-set the inconsistent command he had with his fastball, pitched to contact and got quick and efficient outs.

He did what he needed to in order to get his team a win. He’s an ace, and that’s what aces do.

Gutsy call by Terry Collins pays off.

He pulled Harvey after 93 pitches in seven innings. That was surprising considering he had a 105 pitch limit tonight. Alex Torres took over in the eighth inning and issued a leadoff single to Dan Uggla, and a very long and scary out to pinch hitter Tyler Moore, who hit one to the 370 marker in left field.

Collins then turned to Jeurys Familia for a five out save, and he sealed it perfectly for his 10th of the year (that leads the league).

His slider is absolute death for the opposition. When that pitch is on and escaping the strike zone at 57 feet the way it’s been doing this season, the batter has no chance. That was the case tonight, and that was that for Washington.

The defense showed up, mostly.

It wasn’t a perfect night for Wilmer Flores. He made a throwing error, could have had another one in reality, but he turned one double play and started another on the middle infield. The hope is he can iron out these problems and begin making the routine plays more consistently. Unfortunately, I fear this is in his head…

On the other hand, Juan Lagares did it again with another immaculate catch in the fifth inning, and quite possibly saved #HarveyDay for Harvey and the Mets. It just further emphasizes the need for good defense, particularly up the middle. Today, the Mets got the job done with the glove, and they won

Pitching and defense, an effective combination in this era of baseball…

Familia recorded his third career five out save.

Harvey is the first pitcher since Pedro Martinez in 2006 to win his first five starts of the year.

Harvey is 3-0 in 2015 following a Met loss.

Daniel Murphy delivered the big blow in the eighth inning with a bases clearing double. It was his fifth double with runners in scoring position this season – he is 8-for-23 with four doubles, a homer and eight RBI over his last six games.

Michael Cuddyer put the Mets in front in the fourth inning with a solo home run. It was his second home run in his last three games, and he recorded his third game winning RBI of the year.