Extra! Extra! Read all about it: Mets sweep twin bill after 21 frames at Wrigley

The Mets are now a season-high 24 games over the .500 mark. Plus, a look at their wild doubleheader sweep on Saturday in Chicago.

Rich MacLeod

Jul 17, 2022

What’s Up with the Mets? ⚾

The Mets swept a wild doubleheader with the Cubs at Wrigley Field on Saturday, winning Game 1 by a score of 2-1 in 11 innings (box) and Game 2 by a score of 4-3 in 10 innings (box)
Saturday marked the first time the Mets had both games of a nine-inning doubleheader go to extra innings since July 31, 1983
RHP Taijuan Walker continued his tremendous first half in Game 1, allowing just one earned run on four hits with five strikeouts over six innings
RHP Max Scherzer kept the train rolling in Game 2, striking out 11 batters while allowing two runs over 6.1 innings pitched
1B Pete Alonso drove home his 75th, 76th and 77th RBI of the season in the twin bill, surpassing 3B David Wright for the most RBI before the All-Star break in franchise history
3B Eduardo Escobar had himself a huge day, coming a triple shy of the cycle in Game 2 and making game-saving defensive plays in both ends of the doubleheader
1B JD Davis participated in one of those plays, making a do-or-die scoop at first base to send Game 1 to the 11th inning
RHP Edwin Díaz converted his 20th save in Game 1 while RHP Yoan López took it to the limit before a bases loaded double play brought Game 2 to a close
Jeff McNeil will replace Marlins 2B Jazz Chisholm as the starting second baseman for the National League in the All-Star Game — McNeil will be the first Mets starter in the ASG since 2013
C Francisco Álvarez and 1B Mark Vientos represented the Mets and started in the All-Star Futures Game, combing to go 0-for-3 with two walks
The Mets will pick 11th, 14th, 52nd and 75th today in the 2022 MLB Draft
New York is now 24 games over .500 for the first time since the 2006 season

Who’s Hot 🔥

Since July 3rd, Mets starting pitchers have a 1.93 ERA, 2.44 FIP and 2.8 fWAR while averaging 11.04 strikeouts per nine and just 0.64 home runs per nine over that stretch
Edwin Díaz has now converted 10 consecutive saves and has a 0.48 ERA while throwing 70 percent of his pitches for strikes over his last 19 appearances
Eduardo Escobar is 8-for-his-last-26 (.308) with two home runs, two doubles, three RBI and a .949 OPS since July 11th

Today’s Game 🗓

Match-up: Mets (58-34) at Cubs (34-57)

Where: Wrigley Field — Chicago, Illinois

Starters: LHP David Peterson (5-2, 3.48 ERA) vs RHP Adrian Sampson (0-1, 3.33 ERA)

When: 2:20 PM EST

Where to Watch:

Just win, baby 📝

Well, that was nuts.

One day prior to the All-Star break, the Mets experienced one of their wildest days of the entire first half at Wrigley Field. In the same ballpark where they won their last playoff series — now seven years ago — New York walked into a much different situation, gearing up for a doubleheader against one of baseball’s worst teams.

Neither game was pretty, and the Mets would probably be the first ones to tell you that they did not play their best baseball of the year on Saturday (especially on offense), but like so many times before they managed to find a way and win not one but both ends of the twin bill.

Game 1 saw a rematch against their former starter Marcus Stroman, who the club was only able to muster one hit against — albeit a record-setting RBI double by Pete Alonso to give the club an early 1-0 lead. But that would be New York’s only run of the day for quite awhile, as the game went into extra innings locked at one run a piece. After the Mets failed to drive home the ghost runner in the top of the frame, their were pushed to the brink. With the winning run on third and two outs, Cubs second baseman Christopher Morel smashed a grounder to third where Eduardo Escobar made a tremendous diving stop and fired to first where the newly inserted JD Davis made an even better scoop, saving the game and sending it to the 11th.

New York would bring the game home from there, as a sacrifice fly by Alonso and a 1-2-3 frame from Edwin Díaz clamped it down for the afternoon victory.

Game 2 saw more of the same from the Mets offense, who instead of not-scoring for Taijuan Walker were having difficulties providing run support for Max Scherzer, who threw yet another gem since returning from the injured list. In his three starts since coming back, Scherzer has put up a 1.40 ERA with a 0.88 FIP, 31 strikeouts and just one walk over 19.1 innings pitched. Still, despite striking out 11 Cubbies on the day, “Mad Max” would leave the game without the lead as New York was deadlocked at two.

Headed to extra innings for the second game of the day, the first time in 39 years that’s happened to the Mets, the Amazin’s were once again given the lead by their RBI machine Pete Alonso, who drove home the go-ahead run for the second consecutive game, this time thanks to a hit-by-pitch with the bases full. The Mets would tack on another run thanks to a throwing error on an errant pickoff play later in the inning, giving Yoan López a little extra wiggle room in the bottom half of the frame.

And yes, it was López attempting to complete a second inning in relief work to try and nail down the save instead of Tommy Hunter or Joely Rodríguez, the only two relievers that were still standing after a long day of baseball. For awhile it was looking as if manager Buck Showalter’s decision to keep López in the game would backfire, as he allowed a run to come in to score and loaded the bases with just one out. Clinging onto a 4-3 lead and a pitch out of the strike zone away from walking in the winning run, López ratcheted down and got the ground ball he needed off the bat of Frank Schwindel, who hit it to Escobar at third who made a dash to the bag for the out and fired a strike across the diamond to Alonso to complete the double play and finish off the game.

After nearly seven-and-a-half hours and 21 innings of baseball split over two games, the Mets had come through victorious twice. It wasn’t pretty, it wasn’t anything to write home about, but they found a way to get it done each time. That’s the difference between this year’s version of the club and so many ones that came before it. They don’t meltdown, they don’t wilt under pressure, they just win.

Down on the Farm 🌾

Brett Baty (3B, No. 2 Prospect, Double-A): 2-for-2, HR (13), 3 RBI, 3 BB, 3 runs scored
Ronny Mauricio (SS, No. 3 Prospect, Double-A): 2-for-5, run scored
Alex Ramirez (OF, No. 4 prospect, Single-A): 2-for-4, stolen base, run scored

Box Scores: Triple-A | Double-A | Single-A | Low-A (SUSP)

Around the League 🚩

Nationals RF Juan Soto rejected a 15-year, $440 million extension and the club will now entertain trading him (The Athletic)
The Mariners won their 13th straight game thanks to SS J.P. Crawford’s RBI single in extra innings vs the Rangers
Yankees INF Matt Carpenter continued his storybook comeback season, hitting a pair of home runs and driving in seven in the club’s blowout win against the Red Sox
The Braves beat the Nationals for the 9th consecutive time on Saturday