Just Mets

The Mets mauled the Dodgers by the score of 15-2 on Saturday at Citi Field. Here are my takeaways from the win…

Mets went batty!

The Mets pounded out 20 hits, four home runs, and absolutely crushed the Dodgers in the process. The Mets jumped out to a 4-0 lead thanks to an RBI singles from Daniel Murphy, Michael Conforto, and Kirk Nieuwenhuis, the latter two putting up huge nights with four-hit performances at the plate in consecutive spots in the order.

And as the statistics show, four runs is all the Mets really need to win games on a regular basis. So, in a way, this was over early.

But the Mets decided to pile it on and not call it a night after the first inning.

Lucas Duda got involved with a breakout game of his own with a two home run performance on Saturday. Ruben Tejada had three hits. The new guy Johnson was right in the middle of all of the action with two hits, one of which a homer, and scoring two runs in the process. Even Matt Harvey got involved in the fun, driving in two runs with a 2-for-4 night at the plate.

It was an all-around great effort by the offense for a change. It’s nice to have more major leaguers on the field for a change…

A quality #HarveyDay.

Harvey’s work on the mound got a little lost in the offensive outburst on Saturday, presumably because it’s a better bet he will pitch well than the Mets hitting the way they did.

But Harvey was sharp, and pitched a little angry in his start on Saturday. He allowed just a pair of solo home runs in seven innings. He threw hard, he threw strikes, pitched to his defense, and kept a very good club off the board in a game the Mets had to have no matter what.

It hasn’t been easy for him, but I have to believe pitching on regular rest with a regular routine helped him navigate a successful evening in front of a packed house in Flushing.

It’s games like this the Mets are counting on Harvey to come out and give the club a shutdown night on the mound. Again, they had to win this game having lost the prior three in rather uninspiring fashion.

A special player.

It’s not hard to see why Conforto is going to be a special hitter, if he isn’t already one right now.

He has a beautiful, short, quick stroke. He uses the entire field, he doesn’t try to do too much. He knows the strike zone, has a sound approach, fouls off great pitches – all features of a quality, middle of the order hitter at the big league level.

It’s not always going to be this easy for the kid, but he has done this since the day he took the field with the Brooklyn Cyclones last year, has never deviated when he’s struggled, and put up some very impressive numbers as a pro to date.

Obviously, if he continues to hit consistently, he is never going to see the light of day of a minor league field again.

It’s always fun to watch these kids come up and enjoy success – the Mets have been very, very fortunate to date in that department.

An eruption of energy.

Terry Collins put everyone, “on notice” today, essentially telling them if they don’t hit, they don’t play.

It looks the message was received.

The Mets played with fire, energy, and determination on Saturday, and it was awful fun to watch the Mets win a laugher against a good team. They got a kick in the butt along with the arrival of Kelly Johnson and Juan Uribe, and it hopefully its a good first step as the Mets try and ascend to the top of the division and wild card race.

Other notes from Saturday:

All nine starting players in the Mets lineup reached base at least once on Saturday.

Duda hit two home runs on Saturday – it was his third multi-home run game of the season.

Nieuwenhuis is hitting .375 with three home runs and 10 RBI in 13 games since the Mets brought him back to the big leagues.

Tejada is hitting .338 over his last 18 games. #Mets

Conforto is the first Met ever to have a four-hit game in one of his first two games.

Harvey is the first pitcher with two or more RBIs in three straight games since CC Sabathia over two seasons, in 2005 and 2006, and the first Met pitcher every to drive in multiple runs in three straight games.

The 15 runs and 21 hits for the Mets was a season-high, and the most hits they’ve had in a game since September 16, 2011.

The 15 runs the Mets scored is the most they’ve ever scored at Citi Field, and the most at home since they defeated the Marlins during Mike Pelfrey’s big league debut in 2006 at Shea Stadium

The Mets improved to 36-5 when they score four or more runs in a game.