Taijuan Walker shines on the mound, Mets leave Colorado with another series win
Taijuan Walker and the Mets shut out the Rockies in Colorado to walk away with the victory.
What’s Up with the Mets? ⚾️
The Mets shut out the Rockies in Colorado 2-0 behind an impressive performance by Taijuan Walker (box)
Walker pitched 7.0 shutout innings and struck out six at Coors Field
Pete Alonso picked up his 37th RBI which is tied for the lead in all of baseball
Luis Guillorme continued his recent hot streak and picked up two more hits while playing smooth defense in the field at third base
Edwin Díaz easily nailed down the save to give him ten for the year
The Mets won a game following a loss for the fourteenth straight time this season, which is the longest streak in the majors
The team has not lost two games in a row since April 10-11
Who’s Hot🔥
3B Luis Guillorme went 2-for-3 at the plate to bring his average up to .338 for the year. In the past seven games he has hit .556/.556/.611 and hitting .429/.472/.571 in 18 games since April 21 while contributing outstanding defense in the field
SS Francisco Lindor drove in the Mets first run of the day and went 2-for-4 at the plate. He has quietly been on a tear recently, albeit without hitting for power. In the past week he hit .280/.438/.280
RHP Edwin Díaz sealed the victory giving up one hit and striking out two in the ninth to pick up his tenth save of the season. His ERA sits at 2.00 and he has struck out 34 batters in 18 innings which is good for a 17.00 K/9 rate
Mets pitching has recorded seven shutouts in their first 43 games of the year
Today’s Game 🗓
Match-up: Mets (28-15) at Giants (22-18)
Where: Oracle Park — San Francisco, CA
Starters: LHP David Peterson (1-0, 1.89 ERA) vs. RHP Alex Cobb (3-1, 5.61 ERA)
When: 9:45 PM EDT
Where to Watch: SNY
Alexa, play Narco📝
When the Mets traded for Edwin Díaz before the 2019 season, forces beyond his control created a perfect storm for him to fail in his first year with a new organization. Fans were vehemently opposed to the trade from the beginning since the Mets sent prospect Jarred Kelenic, Justin Dunn, Jay Bruce, and Gerson Bautista to the Mariners to get Díaz and Robinson Canó, and to make matters worse the balls were juiced that season (and, well, so was Canó, potentially).
Díaz suffered mightily from the juiced ball and the new hot coals he was walking on in New York. He gave up 15 home runs in only 58 innings that season, saw his ERA balloon to an unsightly 5.59 (with a 74 ERA+), and he blew seven games while saving just 26.
All told he was a far cry from the elite closer the Mets were expecting when they acquired him, and his performance unquestionably hindered their chances to make the playoffs that year.
The good news at the time was that the stuff was still there - his command was just lacking and struggled to throw quality strikes. He struck out 99 batters and had a K/9 rate of 15.4 which was actually a slight improvement of the previous year when he was the best closer in the league.
After a couple of mediocre seasons with flashes of brilliance, fast forward to 2022 where Díaz finally looks like that shutdown closer the Mets have been missing.
Never was it more evident than, with trumpets sounding, Díaz made his entrance to close out the combined no-hitter at Citi Field on April 29. He was absolutely electric. The Phillies potent middle of the lineup could only flail at his unhittable slider to send the Citi Field crowd into a frenzy.
Then again he made sure to shut down the Phillies after the Mets stormed back in the ninth to score seven runs at Citizens Bank Park on May 5. He nailed down the victory to give the Mets one of their most thrilling wins of the season (and maybe in the last three years) and the Phillies one of their most demoralizing losses.
With the positive results on the field, the electric closer has looked more confidant and happier after receiving alot of ire from the fans in his previous years with the team. His turnaround has arrived in the nick of time for the team since the bullpen is not currently one of the team’s strengths and the starting rotation has taken more injury hits. Trevor May is on the injured list while Adam Ottovino and Seth Lugo have been inconsistent. Díaz has been one of the few constants and their most dependable reliever to-date - with his save against the Rockies, he now has a 2.00 ERA for the year and has struck out 48% of the batters he’s faced. His strikeout rate is just insane - 17.00 per nine innings and batters are hitting just .175 against him. The expected batting average on his slider this season is .099.
In other words, Díaz has been lights out for the Mets in 2022.
The 28-year-old will be a free agent at the end of the season and the team seriously needs to consider signing him to a contract extension. Yes, closers are volatile and their sustainability is always a question. But the organization has frustratingly not re-signed top relievers in the past (see Loup, Aaron), but they can ill afford to do that with their closer considering they have no viable alternative in their pipeline and there maybe no better for the money in free agency which always proves to be a craps table for talent.
They might as well keep the elite closer they do have.
Alexa, play Narco.
Down on the Farm 🌾
Ronny Mauricio (SS, No. 3 prospect, Double-A): 2-for-3, HR, double, 4 RBI, run scored
Wyatt Young (2B, Double-A): 2-for-3, BB, 2 runs scored
Shervyen Newton (SS, High-A): 1-for-3, HR
Box Scores: Triple-A PPD | Double-A | High-A | Single-A
Around the League 🚩
SS Tim Anderson hit a go-ahead three-run home run in the eighth to help lift the White Sox over the Yankees one day after 3B Josh Donaldson made a racist comment towards him
With his team winning 18-0 over the Pirates, C Yadier Molina took to the mound for the Cardinals and gave up four runs
The Phillies defeated the Dodgers 4-3 on a walk-off error that surprisingly did not involve them
The Orioles won on yet another walk-off which is their third in the last four games
RHP Sandy Alcantara pitched a complete game in the Marlins’ 4-3 win over the Braves
Padres RHP Mike Clevinger - who recently returned after recovering from Tommy John Surgery - is back in the IL with a triceps strain
Former Met LHP Steven Matz left his start after throwing only four pitches with shoulder stiffness
The Dodgers announced they signed RHP Blake Treinen to a contract extension which will keep him in LA through the 2023 season