Mets 5 Angels 1 (Angel Stadium, Anaheim, CA)
Mets record: 58-51
Mets streak: Won 1
WP - Paul Blackburn (5-2)
LP - Tyler Anderson (8-10)
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.
Paul Blackburn's debut was a success, going 6 innings while giving up just one run on six hits and two walks while striking out 6 in a 5-1 Mets victory to kick off a grueling 10 game road trip.
Need to Know
Brandon Nimmo was 3 for his first 3 against Tyler Anderson and would wind up 3-for-5 with a run scored.
Francisco Alvarez led off the scoring with an RBI single in the 2nd.
After the Angels tied it off Blackburn in the bottom of the 2nd, Pete Alonso's home run in the third gave the Mets the lead for good, a two run shot to make it 3-1.
J.D. Martinez's RBI single down the right field line in the 6th made it 4-1, while an error by Zach Neto finished off the scoring at 5-1.
Every Mets starter got at least one hit, with Harrison Bader joining Nimmo as the two Mets who had multiple hits.
Jose Butto threw two scoreless innings in the 7th and 8th to get the ball to Phil Maton to finish it off.
Turning Point
The go-ahead dinger by Alonso was Alonso's third in the last five games, and he also has three doubles in the last six games. The man might be getting hot at the right time.
Three Keys
In Our Blackburn Era
Paul Blackburn came in with a 4.41 ERA in 51 innings in Oakland this year, but had a WHIP of 1.15, which would belie an ERA that high. With his K/9 at a modest 6.7 and a BB/9 of 2.5, it all adds up to what you saw tonight from Blackburn: a pitch to contact guy. You sure as heck saw it tonight with Blackburn give up some hits on soft contact, but get double plays to get out of the first and fifth innings.
The 6 K's was the cherry on top tonight, but don't be surprised if Blackburn relies more on that soft contact in his Mets tenure.
Gifts From Heaven
The Angels don't make a lot of errors. They're fifth best in the A.L. with 55 on the season. But you know a team is going bad when they have Luis Guillorme, and HE makes an error on a routine ground ball. (He would atone later in the game on a beauty that we've gotten used to.)
The other error the Angels made tonight was by their other middle infielder Zach Neto, and it not only gave the Mets a run, but it seemed to take whatever life the Angels had left out of the building.
Pedal To The Medal
This was a necessary start to a brutal 10 game road trip, put in the brutal category by having to go to St. Louis for one game to make up a rain out to take away their off day. To get a rocking chair win like this sets them up nicely for the rest of the trip which features two series against teams they should take care of handily in the Angels and Colorado Rockies.
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