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The Mets defeated the Red Sox 8-3 at Citi Field on Wednesday night to sweep the three-game series and extend their winning streak to seven games.
They got a first-inning grand slam from Jesse Winker and held on from there before adding four runs in the eighth inning, three on bases-loaded walks.
Here are the takeaways…
-The Mets’ bullpen was outstanding, making manager Carlos Mendoza look smart for being aggressive with his pitching decisions.
Five relievers held the Red Sox scoreless over the final five innings, allowing four hits and inducing three inning-ending double plays.
Lefty Alex Young relieved starter Tylor Megill after a leadoff hit in the fifth and wound up getting the first of the double plays. Huascar Brazoban and lefty Danny Young followed and also got groundball double plays.
Finally, with two outs in the eighth and the score still 4-3, the crowd standing and roaring on every pitch, Phil Maton got the final out of the eighth inning with two runners on, a soft liner by Masataka Yoshida to Francisco Lindor.
With an off day on Thursday, Mendoza decided to use Edwin Diaz for the ninth after the offense broke the game open, and Diaz completed the scoreless night for the bullpen.
-Lindor wasted no time stretching his hitting streak to 15 games and his on-base streak to 33 games, leading off the first inning with a hard single off first baseman Triston Casas’ glove.
The on-base streak is the longest active streak in the majors and the longest of Lindor’s career. The 15-game hitting streak is his longest as a Met and matches the longest of his career.
Lindor added a double in the fifth inning and went 2-for-5 on the night while hearing chants of “M-V-P” from the crowd at Citi Field.
-The Mets got crucial tack-on runs in the ninth thanks mainly to Red Sox closer Kenley Jansen’s lack of control. Jansen walked three hitters, sandwiched around a single by Mark Vientos, with Tyrone Taylor drawing a bases-loaded walk.
Sox manager Alex Cora pulled Jansen for 44-year-old lefty Rich Hill, who promptly walked Jeff McNeil and Francisco Alvarez to give the Mets two more runs, and Harrison Bader added a sacrifice fly.
-Megill didn’t get a long leash, as Mendoza decided to manage aggressively with a one-run lead, going to the bullpen in the fifth inning after a leadoff single.
As a result, Megill’s start was pretty much wrecked by one bad inning, as he gave up three runs in the third inning. For the night he gave up five hits and a walk in his four-plus innings, as his ERA rose to 4.95.
Megill wasn’t staying in the rotation past this start regardless, with Paul Blackburn coming back from the IL.
–Huascar Brazoban had a solid outing out of the bullpen, getting an important double play to end the sixth inning. The right-hander walked the first batter he faced in relief of lefty Alex Young, but then got lefty Casas to hit a ground ball to Lindor, who turned it into a 6-6-3 double play.
Pete Alonso had a rough night, striking out three times as part of an 0-for-4 night, and after the third K, in the bottom of the eighth, he snapped his bat over his right thigh, breaking it into two pieces.
Alonso has been frustrated by his failures in the clutch this season. He came into the game hitting .214 with runners in scoring position and went 0-for-2 in those situations in this game.
Game MVP: Jesse Winker
Winker’s first-inning grand slam held up as the difference-maker and continued to make David Stearns look good for acquiring him at the trade deadline.
Winker had a walk-off home run to defeat the Baltimore Orioles two weeks ago and recently went 8-for-11 in a three-game stretch. As a Met, he’s hitting .308 with eight extra-base hits and 13 RBI in 30 games.
Highlights
What’s next
The Mets have an off day Thursday before they welcome the Cincinnati Reds for a three-game set starting Friday.
Sean Manaea (11-5, 3.35 ERA) looks to keep his impressive second half going when he takes the mound for the Mets. The Reds have not announced their probable starter for the series opener.
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