Buoyed by a six-run explosion in the fifth and sixth innings, Corey Oswalt earned his first Major League win and the Mets finally won a series with a 6-4 victory over the Padres on Wednesday afternoon at Citi Field.
For a full box score of the game, click here.
Things you should know about today's game...
1) Held without a baserunner through four innings by Padres starter Clayton Richard, the Mets scored four times in the fifth inning and twice more in the sixth. Kevin Plawecki and Phillip Evans had RBI singles and Amed Rosario delivered a go-ahead two-out, two-run single. Jose Bautista clubbed a two-run homer, his eighth, in the next frame to give New York a 6-2 lead.
2) Thanks to some timely hitting, Oswalt (1-2) was able to parlay a fourth consecutive solid start into his first big league win. The 24-year-old allowed two runs on three hits and two walks while striking out four in five innings. He was lifted for a pinch-hitter in the bottom of the fifth when the Mets scored four times.
3) Tim Peterson allowed a two-run homer to Freddy Galvis over his 1 1/3 innings and Robert Gsellman escaped a two-on, one-out jam in the seventh. Anthony Swarzak pitched two scoreless innings for his second save of the year.
Michael Avallone, SNY.tv | Twitter |
On a day that began with the expected, but no less devastating, news on Yoenis Cespedes, the Mets went out and won a series for the first time in more than two months. Thanks to a solid effort by Corey Oswalt and some timely hits during a four-run fifth inning, New York secured it's third series win since opening the year with five straight. Two of three have come against the Padres, who own the league's worst record.
With that bit of excitement out of the way, the talking heads and baseball pundits can go back to wondering just which Met(s) will be dealt with the trade deadline quickly approaching. One player who won't be going anywhere is Amed Rosario, who continues to take steps in the right direction after a difficult introduction to the big leagues. It's pointless to rehash in depth how ill-prepared the 22-year-old was to become a Major Leaguer, but he was regarded as one of baseball's top prospects by folks around the league for a reason. He is still too much of a free-swinger, but his tools are starting to sharpen and he's becoming more consistent at using them.
It doesn't mean that Rosario will develop into an All-Star caliber player. That would obviously be an enormous coup for the Mets, but a solid, reliable shortstop is paramount for a club. I've said it before -- the instant success of Yankees phenom Gleyber Torres, who is often compared to Rosario, has done the Mets' youngster no favors. At this state progress is important, and the youngster is showing he's starting to figure things out.
News and notes...
The Mets picked up their first series win in 18 tries dating back to their three-game sweep of the Diamondbacks from May 18-20. The 17 consecutive series without a win was one short of the club-record of 18 straight set in 1982. It marked the club's third series victory -- two against the Padres -- since winning their first five of the season.
New York won consecutive games at home for the first time since a four-game winning streak from May 18-21. The win gave the Mets their second winning homestand (2-1) since beginning they won four of five to open the season. They are 9-22 in their last 31 games at Citi Field and 21-33 overall in Queens.
Oswalt has a 3.60 ERA in his last four starts while allowing 11 hits and six walks with 14 strikeouts in 20 innings.
Bautista's home run was the 339th of his career, which moved him into a four-way tie with Dave Parker, Boog Powell and Tino Martinez for 99th all-time.
Rosario is batting .305 with eight runs scored, six extra-base hits, five RBIs and four stolen bases in his last 11 games.
Brandon Nimmo is hitting .134 (13-for-97) with 35 strikeouts in 25 games since a three-hit effort on June 23. He went 0-for-3 with a run scored Wednesday.
What's next...
The Mets (42-57) look for a third consecutive win as they head to Pittsburgh to face the red-hot Pirates (53-49) on Thursday night at PNC Park at 7 p.m. on SNY.
Steven Matz (4-8, 3.65 ERA/4.71 FIP, 88 K, 1.287 WHIP) opens the four-game set coming off his worst outing in a month. The 27-year-old surrendered five runs on nine hits over five innings in a loss to the Yankees last Saturday in the Bronx. Prior to that, Matz had pitched to a 2.91 ERA in his previous 13 starts dating to the beginning of May. He allowed three runs in seven frames against the Pirates during a no-decision on June 26. Matz is 0-1 with a 3.75 ERA in two career starts against Pittsburgh.
Nick Kingham (5-4, 4.11 ERA/4.67 FIP, 54 Ks, 1.105 WHIP) aims for a fourth consecutive win as he makes his first career appearance against the Mets. The rookie right-hander yielded two runs in 6 1/3 innings to defeat the Reds last Saturday. Kingham has held opponents to a .189 average while posting a 2.89 ERA during his three-game winning streak.