Game 56 of 162
Mets 4 Phillies 1 (Citi Field, Flushing, NY)
Mets record: 29-27
Mets streak: Won 2
WP - Carlos Carrasco (2-2)
LP - Aaron Nola (4-4)
SV - David Robertson (10)
Seat on the Korner:
We select the star of the game and virtually invite him to a Seat on the Korner, just as Ralph Kiner used to do for his studio postgame show on WOR-channel 9 broadcasts in the early decades of the Mets.
The Mets got some unexpected production from the bottom of the order as they reached five times in nine plate appearances, and Mark Canha had the biggest flex as his two run HR and two run single were all the Mets needed in a 4-1 victory over Philadelphia.
Need to Know
This is the first home win in the last seven that wasn't by one or two runs.
The Mets lead off the season 2-0 against the Phillies after going 14-5 against the NL Champs last season. Tonight's win clinches their 7th straight series win over Philadelphia.
Carlos Carrasco reached the magic threshold of six innings as he gave up one run on six hits and a walk, throwing 52 strikes in 82 pitches.
The Mets now move to 15-0 in games where the starter goes six innings.
David Robertson pitched a scoreless ninth for his 10th save, bringin his ERA down to 1.48 on the season.
The bullpen as a whole pitched three scoreless innings, giving up three hits (two off Brooks Raley, one fluke hit off Robertson) and striking out six.
Four Phillies had two hits each (Bryson Stott, Bryce Harper, Brandon Marsh, Kody Clemens) but could only manage the one run, which was a solo HR by Edmundo Sosa.
Turning Point
Aaron Nola looked dominant in the first two innings, getting five infield pop ups to start the game. But Daniel Vogelbach worked out a walk in the third to set up Mark Canha against Nola.
Canha's 2-for-3 night raises his average to .242 on the year.
Three Keys
Cookie Carrasco is continuing the starting pitching renaissance. His last two starts have been exactly what he and the Mets have needed, going a combined 12 and 2/3's innings, giving up two runs, three walks, and striking out eight hitters. On the heels of Kodai Senga's great outing last night and Max Scherzer's last two outings, the Mets starting pitching is starting to come to life. If Justin Verlander and Tylor Megill can find some consistency, the Mets are going to be better suited for the long grind of the season.
The Mets infield defense has been among the best in Major League Baseball, and they flased it tonight. In particular, Francisco Lindor ...
... and Brett Baty, whose defense has reportedly been a question mark (though if I had a nickel for every young player who scouts said their defense was below average, I'd have an extra 15 cents at least.)
Baty's play got Brooks Raley out of a tough jam to end the 7th unscathed.
I've said before that David Robertson deserves a ton of credit for how he has stepped into Edwin Diaz's role, and he earned that credit once again tonight. Pitching on a back to back night, he ran into some bad luck in the ninth. Brandon Marsh hit a one-out comebacker up the middle that ticked off Robertson's glove and eluded Jeff McNeil, who might have turned it into the second out if Robertson's reflexes weren't so quick. Then he tried to get Clemens on an 0-2 back foot curveball, but hit him in the front foot instead.
So now the tying run is up after two fluky plays, and another reliever pitching on a back to back night might have mentally worn down and given up the game. But Robertson struck out Sosa, who hit a home run earlier in the game for the second out. Then he struck out Stott to end the game on cutter, curve, curve, cutter. Instead of melting down, he was dominant in sealing the victory through adversity.
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