Schwei's Mets Notes: Solid In Interleague Play, Except Against Yankees
By John Schweibacher
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After taking three of four from the division-rival Phillies, the Mets lost the opener of the Subway Series on Monday night.
The Mets led early on fourth-innning solo home runs by Curtis Granderson and Yoenis Cespedes, but Aaron Judge homered in the sixth and Aaron Hicks and Gary Sanchez added eighth-inning blasts as the Yankees went on to a 4-2 win in the Bronx.
Despite the loss, the Mets are now 186-170 (.520 winning percentage) all-time in interleague games, the best among NL clubs.
However, they are now just 46-63 against the Yankees.
The Yankees entered Monday's game with a record of 222-156 (.587) vs. NL teams, tied with Boston (222-156) for the best record and most wins all-time in interleague play, which began 20 years ago.
The Mets made it three wins in four games against the Phillies with a 6-2 victory at Citizens Bank Park on Sunday afternoon.
Granderson had three hits, three RBIs, and three runs scored. It marked the first time in his four seasons with the Mets that Granderson had that many hits, RBIs, and runs in a single game.
Darryl Strawberry had the most such games in club history (eight).
Aaron Nola held the Mets to one run and two hits while striking out eight over seven innings in the Phillies' 3-1 victory on Saturday.
The last Phillies starter to pitch at least seven innings and allow two hits or fewer in a home game against the Mets was Darrin Winston, who gave up one hit over seven in a 2-1 win at Veterans Stadium on Sept. 15, 1997.
The Mets beat the Phillies, 7-6, on Friday night. Amed Rosario hit his first major league home run, an opposite-field blast leading off the ninth inning.
According to the Elias Sports Bureau, Rosario, at 21 years, 264 days, became the youngest Mets player to hit a go-ahead homer in the ninth inning or later (first MLB homer or not) since David Wright hit one at 21 years, 243 days in Denver in 2004.
The Mets and Jacob deGrom beat the Phillies, 10-0, on Thursday. With the win, deGrom improved to 6-0 with a 2.10 ERA in 10 career starts against Philadelphia.
According to the pitching game finder on baseball-reference.com, that is the most consecutive wins against Philadelphia to start a Mets pitcher's career. Matt Harvey and John Maine both started 5-0 against the Phillies.
Here are the only Mets starters with longer win streaks against an opponent to begin their major league careers:
-- Tom Seaver: 10 vs. San Diego
-- Ron Darling: 8 vs. Atlanta
-- Dwight Gooden: 7 vs. Pittsburgh
-- David Cone: 7 vs. Pittsburgh
-- Bobby Ojeda: 7 vs. Pittsburgh
The Mets traded two more players last week, sending Jay Bruce to the Indians for minor league reliever Ryder Ryan and Neil Walker to the Brewers for a player to be named.
In a little more than a calendar year with the Mets, Bruce hit 37 home runs and drove in 94 runs. The only two Mets to hit more homers and have more runs batted in their first calendar year with the club are Yoenis Cespedes (39, 102 -- spanning August, September, and October 2015, plus March-July 2016) and Carlos Delgado, who hit 38 homers and drove in 114 runs during his first season with the Mets in 2006.
Walker hit 23 home runs last season. Only Edgardo Alfonzo, who hit 27 homers in 1999 and 25 in 2000, hit more home runs as the Mets second baseman in a single season.
Martin Perez held the Mets to three hits over eight innings as the Rangers earned a split of the two-game series with a 5-1 win last Wednesday afternoon at Citi Field.
Perez, batting in the interleague game, struck out in all four of his plate appearances. It was the second time this season an opposing pitcher fanned four times against the Mets. Joe Ross struck out four times in an 11-4 win for the Nationals back on July 4.
Only three other starting pitchers have struck out four times in a game against the Mets while holding them to three or fewer hits on the mound:
-- 5/12/15: Jake Arrieta (Cubs), 8 innings, 3 hits
-- 9/25/78: Silvio Martinez (Cardinals), 9 innings, 2 hits
-- 9/15/71: Burt Hooten (Cubs), 9 innings, 3 hits
Chris Flexen earned his first major league win in the Mets' 5-4 victory over Texas last Tuesday night. Flexen is the first Mets starter to get his first career win vs. an AL team.
The only other Mets pitcher to record his first major league win in an interleague game was Hansel Robles, who came on in relief in an eventual 4-3, 11-inning victory over the Blue Jays on June 15, 2015.
Happy Recap: Next to Go? Granderson has hit five home runs in his last 11 games, reportedly resulting in more teams having interest in trading for him before the end of the month.
Nine Miles of Rough Road: No Relief. The Mets' bullpen has allowed 58 home runs, sixth most in the major leagues. Last season, Mets relievers allowed 56 homers overall.
