The Mets were all excited, and they had every reason to be. Daily survival saps energy, a precious commodity after 154 games.
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The Mets-Phillies game was an incredible back-and-forth affair going into the bottom of the 11th inning on Thursday night.
Braves 6, Marlins 3 • Matt Kemp hit two home runs to power visiting Atlanta over Miami.
“Going down the road we’re going to pick and choose the guy we think that night has got the best shot”, Collins said.
Collins is hardly in the mood to hand out participation ribbons.
The Mets won the first two games of the series including Friday, when they used six pitchers to piece together a 10-5 victory. As Keith pointed out, you could see the shadow of the ball pass by the pole as it hooked just barely to the wrong side, making it merely a long strike before a strikeout which sent the game to the fateful eleventh. In the tenth with two outs, Duda smashed a liner towards the right field foul pole.
Collins may rest Cabrera on Saturday, though the shortstop isn’t keen on the idea.
If anything, the Mets added to the mounting evidence that they are not lacking in fortitude, even if they may not have enough healthy bodies for a serious run in October.
But for their troubles, the Mets emerged with a victory to keep pressure on their rivals. NY is 1 1/2 games ahead of the St. Louis Cardinals, who fell to the Chicago Cubs 5-0 on Friday afternoon.
For the second straight night, the Phillies’ bullpen crumbled and the Mets took advantage.
Brewers 3, Pirates 1 • Chris Carter hit his 37th home run, matching his career high, and Scooter Gennett sliced an opposite-field, two-run homer to help Milwaukee avoid another sweep at Miller Park. The Padres tried to mount a comeback after Alex Dickerson hit his tenth home run of the year, but relief pitcher Sergio Romo was able to get the save and give the Giants the win. “That was a good at-bat for me and a feeling that I can hold onto”.
Conforto had entered play hitting just.208 since returning to the roster September 1.
“There’s gonna be some sleeping tonight”, Collins said, answering the final question of his press conference. He is expected to start Saturday.
Jeremy Hellickson has had a fine season in Philadelphia, one that will lead to some interesting decisions in the coming months.
NY added three insurance runs in the seventh on a throwing error, Eric Campbell’s RBI single and T.J. Hansel Robles inherited a bases-loaded, one-out jam in the 7th in a 5-3 game but induced an inning-ending double play. Catcher Cameron Rupp followed with a solo home run of his own, and just like that the Phillies were winning.
“We had a little get-together (before the game), talked about, hey, it’s a 10-day season right now”, Mets manager Terry Collins said. Noah Syndergaard is slated to be on the hill versus the Phillies for the third time on the year.
But at the end of a 3-hour, 40-minute slog, it was the bullpen that stood tall.
In the Mets’ huge fifth inning, Curtis Granderson and Kelly Johnson each delivered an RBI single before the Conforto blast. The 24-year old had been a big part of the Mets second-half offensive resurgence, hitting.270 with nine home runs and 26 RBI in 56 games after his late July call-up straight from Double-A. A walk to Michael Conforto and a Reyes single gave the Mets a chance in the 11th, after the Phillies had scored twice off Jeurys Familia in the top of the inning. He would finish the game.
“He threw me a BP (batting practice) fastball or changeup, I’m not sure”, Joseph said. Whatever he can give would be very, very helpful because this is going down to the wire.
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Their hope appeared in vain on multiple occasions, but they believed again when Reyes and Cabrera made it possible to do so.
