Schwei's Mets Notes: Rookie Pitchers, Granderson Come Up Big
By John Schweibacher
» More Columns
Despite their slew of injuries, the New York Mets are still in the race for a wild-card spot on Labor Day after winning 11 of their last 15 games, including two of three from the NL East-leading Washington Nationals.
Mets rookie starters Robert Gsellman and Seth Lugo earned the wins Saturday and Sunday nights. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, it was the first time in 21 years that the Mets won consecutive games against a first-place team with rookie starting pitchers getting the win in each game.
The last time it happened was back in September 1995 against Cincinnati at Shea Stadium when the Mets swept a three-game series from the first-place Reds with Jason Isringhausen, Robert Person and Reid Cornelius each getting a win. All three were rookies.
On Saturday night, the Mets beat the Nationals 3-1 at Citi Field. Curtis Granderson drove in the go-ahead runs with a two-run single in the bottom of the third inning.
MORE: Palladino: Collins Must Hope Roster Roulette Pays Off Big Down Stretch
Elias noted that Granderson entered Saturday batting just .116 (10-for-86) this season with runners in scoring position, the second-lowest average by any player with at least 50 at-bats with RISP behind the Twins' Byung Ho Park (.115).
Granderson hit .297 (27-for-91) with runners in scoring position in 2015 and batted just .203 (29-for-143) with RISP in his first season with the Mets in 2014.
On Friday night, the Nationals beat Noah Syndergaard and the Mets 4-1 at Citi Field. Washington stole four bases in the win against the Mets, who have now allowed a major-league leading 118. Forty-five of the steals have come with Syndergaard on the mound, the fifth-most against a Mets pitcher in a single season in club history.
· 1990: Dwight Gooden, 60
· 1988: Dwight Gooden, 56
· 1983: Tom Seaver, 50
· 1984: Dwight Gooden, 47
· 2016: Noah Syndergaard, 45
The Mets have allowed the most stolen bases in the majors four times in club history:
· 2002: 151 stolen bases allowed
· 1990: 201 stolen bases allowed
· 1989: 194 stolen bases allowed
· 1967: 87 stolen bases allowed
On Thursday night, the Marlins salvaged the final game of the four-game series against the Mets with a 6-4 win. Christian Yelich homered for the third straight game for Miami.
According to Baseball-Reference.com, six players all-time have had a home run streak of at least four games against the Mets in New York:
· 1962: Ernie Banks, Cubs, 5 at Polo Grounds
· 1962: Willie Davis, Dodgers, 4 at Polo Grounds
· 1971: Bobby Bonds, Giants, 4 at Shea Stadium
· 2006-07: Ryan Howard, Phillies, 4 at Shea Stadium
· 2008-09: Jody Gerut, Padres, 4 at Shea Stadium/Citi Field
· 2011: Troy Tulowitzki, Rockies, 4 at Citi Field
On Wednesday night, the Mets made it three straight wins over the Marlins with a 5-2 victory. Kelly Johnson's two-out, three-run double in the eighth inning was the big hit in the victory.
It was the second game with at least three RBIs for Johnson in the last five days, after Johnson's pinch-hit grand slam against the Phillies the previous Saturday.
Here are the Mets who have had at least two games with at least three runs batted in this season:
· Cespedes, 6
· Flores, 5
· Granderson, 3
· Walker, 3
· Conforto, 3
· Loney, 2
· De Aza, 2
· Cabrera, 2
· Johnson, 2
On Tuesday night, the Mets beat the Marlins 7-4 at Citi Field. Granderson hit a pinch-hit home run in the sixth inning, remained in the game and then hit a two-run home run in the seventh.
Granderson became just the third player in Mets history to hit two homers in a game he did not start. Hawk Taylor homered twice against the Phillies at Shea Stadium on June 20, 1964, after replacing Chris Cannizaro, who was ejected, and Scott Hairston also did it against the Nationals on July 31, 2011, accounting for both Mets runs with a pinch-hit homer in the seventh and a solo home run in the ninth in a 3-2 loss at Washington.
Last Monday night, Yoenis Cespedes homered with two outs in the bottom of the 10th inning, giving the Mets a 2-1 victory over the Marlins in the opener of the four-game series.
According to The Ultimate Mets Database, it was the 21st "walkoff" win by the Mets against the Marlins, but the first one that ended on a home run.
The team the Mets have now played the most games against without ending the game with a homer is the Yankees. Six of the Mets' 46 regular season wins vs. the Yanks have come in the bottom of the ninth or extra innings, but none have been won with a home run.
Happy Recap: "A" winning month. The Mets went 15-14 in August, the club's first month with a record over .500 since April, when it went 15-7.
Nine Miles of Rough Road: Hansel Robles. After going 5-0 with a 1.67 earned run average in 20 appearances in June and July, the Mets reliever went 0-1 with an ERA of 9.00 in 13 games in August.
