The moment good teams take advantage of.
The Mets recorded just one hit against Jon Gray through six innings on Monday. That one hit was a solo home run from Travis d’Arnaud. Other than that, things looked a lot like the last two days: popups and strikeouts.
That left Jon Niese in a very familiar situation with no margin for error, and one mistake costing him a ballgame. That’s exactly what happened when he allowed a two-run home run to Carlos Gonzalez, and it really seemed the Mets would have no answer to it.
Until two outs in the seventh inning.
They loaded the bases in the seventh after d’Arnaud singled and the Mets drew two walks against Justin Miller. Then, Walt Weiss had Boone Logan face Curtis Granderson, who is bordering on inept against left-handed pitching. But Logan hit Granderson to force in the tying run, and Daniel Murphy cashed in his opportunity with a two-run single the other way.
That was their moment in the seventh inning. Good teams don’t wait for an invite if the door is left open – they go right in, and that’s what the Mets did. Sure, it took a hit-by-pitch which isn’t exactly climactic, but it’s about finding a way to score just enough offense, and the Mets capitalized on their opportunity to pull the rug out from under Gray and the Rockies.
Niese was terrific.
Niece retired the final 11 batters he faced in what was another fantastic performance on Monday. With the exception of the mistake to Gonzalez, he was able to keep his two-seamer down and was ably to bury his cutter in nicely against the right-handed hitters.
He’s been quietly fantastic for two months now, and quietly among the best in the National League over that span as well. He deserves better than the 7-9 record he has this year, as it doesn’t even come close to the quality he’s produced for the Mets this season. Fortunately, he got a win for his fantastic effort on Monday, although it wasn’t looking good for the first two thirds of this game.
Finding that way.
Not a lot was looking good for the Mets on Monday. They had no offense for 6 2/3 innings, and it’s not as if they didn’t get good pitches to hit, either. They just didn’t square up on anything and were hitting balls right at people.
But the good teams keep battling to find a way, and they kept the line moving in the seventh just long enough to exploit the Rockies bullpen and win this game.
There was a time Gonzalez’s homer was the end of the night for the Mets. But there’s a different attitude in that clubhouse and dugout now. They believe, they’re patient, and they’re learning how to win these games now.
It’s been fun watching them evolve. Here’s to hoping all of this means something in October.
Other notes from Monday:
The Mets improved to 49-5 when leading after seven innings, and 43-7 when scoring four or more runs.
The Mets recorded their 27th come-from behind win of the year on Monday.
Granderson has reached base in 23 of his last 24 games.
The Mets retired the final 17 Rockies hitters they faced on Monday.
Niese has a 2.61 ERA in 72 1/3 innings over his last 11 starts.
The Mets have struck out 33 times in their last three games.
The Mets extended their winning streak against the Rockies at Citi Field to seven games.
Just Mets 