David Peterson solid but Mets fail to sweep Marlins, and a story not quantified by W's and L's
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David Peterson solid but Mets fail to sweep Marlins, and a story not quantified by W's and L's
The Mets went 1-for-13 with runners in scoring position against the Marlins on Sunday
What’s Up with the Mets? ⚾
The Mets dropped the final game of their three-game series in Miami by a score of 3-2 in walk-off fashion (box)
Pete Alonso drove in yet another run to give him 69 RBIs for the season, which is tops in the majors
Brandon Nimmo went 2-for-4 with a double and a home run
David Peterson tossed seven solid innings, giving up two runs while striking out eight
RHP Tommy Hunter pitched another scoreless inning and has not given up a run in his four appearances this season
RHP Adam Ottavino gave up the walk-off which snapped a June where he had yet to give up a run - it was the first run he has allowed in June, a span of nine relief appearances
The Mets went just 4-for-27 with runners in scoring position in this three-game series against the Marlins
The Mets are now 23-17 on the road, 21-11 during the day, 13-10 in June, 10-8 in one-run games, 24-9 against the NL East, 8-22 when scoring three or fewer runs and 9-3 when their starting pitcher goes at least seven innings
Injury Updates 🏥
Max Scherzer (strained oblique) will make his next rehab start on Tuesday for Double-A Binghamton in Hartford, CT
Jeff McNeil (hamstring) missed his fifth straight game on Sunday, although he has yet to be placed on the injured list
Colin Holderman (shoulder impingement) struck out two in his only inning of work for Triple-A Syracuse on Sunday
Who’s Hot 🔥
Pete Alonso went 1-for-3 with a RBI on Sunday - he is hitting .304/.357/.783 in his last seven games
Brandon Nimmo extended his hitting streak to six games and is hitting .367/.375/.567 over his past seven games
Tommy Hunter gave up one hit and struck out one in his inning of relief. He has yet to give up a run in his Mets career going back to last season
Today’s Game 🗓
The Mets are off on Monday - they open a two-game series with the Astros at Citi Field on Tuesday
Not all victories can be defined on paper 📝
As fans of a professional baseball team we tend to measure success by the number in the wins column on any given day or any given season. We obsessively check the standings to see if the Braves and Phillies won and what a win for the Mets would mean at the end of the day.
Pitchers, of course, also get a win next to their name. Every day in the boxscore either a “W” or a “L” appears next to a pitcher’s name even though Jacob deGrom all be eliminated it as a worthy statistic in 2018. Still, the tradition of awarding pitchers wins and losses soldiers on even though it isn’t always indicative of a pitcher’s performance.
One pitcher who does not have a win next to his name this season is Tommy Hunter. In fact, he has exactly 0 wins throughout his Mets career which includes eight innings pitched in 2021. However, not all victories are the ones that show up as a little “W” in the box score.
Some victories go beyond statistics and numbers in a column.
Despite his brief stint with the Mets, Hunter was unquestionably one of the season’s best highlights in 2021 after he picked up the first hit of his career. His astonished laughter and childlike joy in that postgame press conference last season was infectious to anyone who watched the presser and still brings a smile upon rewatch a year later.
Sadly, the joy was short lived since the next day his back started to bother him and he was placed on the injured list shortly afterwards. Unbeknownst to fans, he was diagnosed with six herniated discs in his back and was having trouble just living his life. Walking, playing with his children, and feeding the baby were all struggles as he suffered through severe pain.
After multiple surgeries Hunter made his way back to the team, and while that alone is a major accomplishment, so far he is pitching well which is just the cherry on top of Hunter’s comeback story.
And while the sample size has indeed been small so far in 2022, Hunter has shown his potential with the Mets. He’s been dazzling in his three relief appearances, allowing just two hits with six strikeouts over four innings, his latest coming in a scoreless relief appearance against Miami on Sunday, during which he baffled the Marlins hitters with an array of different fastballs and breaking pitches.
Hunter has proven to be a valuable pitcher in a variety of roles during his 15-year career. He has a lifetime 4.01 ERA in a variety of roles, mostly as a reliever, has a little bit of closing experience, and could very well prove to be a lynchpin for the Mets in long and middle relief should he remain healthy the rest of the way.
And of course, he has that one hit at the plate - he is 1-for-5 lifetime.
But no matter what the future holds for Hunter and the Mets this season, a substantial victory has already been achieved. Sometimes victories aren’t measured on paper.
Sometimes a victory is simply measured by one’s ability to take the field.
Down on the Farm 🌾
Carlos Cortes (2B, Double-A): 2-for-4, HR, 4 RBI, 2 R
Ronny Mauricio (SS, No. 3 Prospect, Double-A): 2-for-4, RBI, 2 R
Omar De Los Santos (OF, Low-A): 2-for-4, 1 R, SB
Box Scores: Triple-A | Double-A | Single-A | Low-A
Around the League 🚩
The Mariners and Angels got into a massive brawl that will most likely lead to many suspensions after Jesse Winker was hit by a pitch
The Yankees - who endured a 16-inning hitless streak - came from behind late and settled for a series split with the Astros with a 6-3 win at Yankee Stadium
The Red Sox rolled to their seventh-straight win on Sunday by sweeping the Guardians
Twins pitching coach Wes Johnson is leaving mid-season to take a job with the LSU baseball team
St. Louis RHP Jack Flaherty exited his start early with right shoulder stiffness
The Dodgers came back to defeat the Braves 5-3 in 11 innings
Braves star Ronald Acuña Jr. was out of the lineup and could not put pressure on his foot despite there being no fracture after fouling a ball off his foot the previous game