A three-game winning streak has the Mets (66-63) 2½ games behind St. Louis for the second wild card spot as they go for the sweep of the Phillies this afternoon. “I think a lot of that has to do with [the fact] there is some confidence in there right now and guys are coming through who hadn’t been”. This 109-mile per hour missile reached the second deck in leftfield for a three-run home run and the Mets went on to their sixth win in seven games, 12-1, over the Phillies before 35,832 at Citi Field.
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Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Jeremy Hellickson, left, reacts after allowing a fourth-inning, three-run, home run to Yoenis Cespedes, right, in a baseball game, Saturday, Aug. 27, 2016, in NY.
Cabrera’s 16 homers match the second most he has had in a season in his career. He has four pinch-hit homers, which is one shy of the club record.
“It’s not easy, but I’m excited that happened”, Cabrera said.
Yoenis Cespedes (quad) and Neil Walker (back) were both out of the Mets’ lineup Sunday for the series finale against the Phillies at Citi Field. Mets manager Terry Collins joked about the internal competition on the team, noting that right before the homer, bench coach Dick Scott predicted Cespedes would not let his teammates get the better of him in this game. The reliever gave up six runs in the seventh inning, retiring just two of the nine batters he faced.
As Cespedes said through an interpreter, “It feels like the last two months of last season”. “The desire, the motivation, the not giving up until the last out”.
Kelly Johnson’s smash was of the tack-on variety, turning the game into a laugher. Johnson ripped a grand slam (9) off Mariot to blow the game wide open at 11-1. Neil Walker has posted 116 hits with 23 homers, 55 RBI and 56 runs. Remember when the ballpark was among the toughest in baseball to hit one out?
“No offense to talk about, other than Freddy’s home run”, Phillies manager Pete Mackanin said.
Syndergaard (12-7) chipped in with a long double and is 3-0 with a 1.31 ERA in his last three starts.
Syndergaard is now 4-0 with a 1.37 ERA through four career starts against the Phillies. His season ERA is 2.55, third best in the majors.
After some struggles earlier in the month, Syndergaard did some things that were Syndergaard-like, such as striking out Ryan Howard three times on pitches in three different spots.
“We’ve been working hard all year”, Cabrera said. “He just put it to us”.
The Phillies have used seven starting pitchers this month as two pitchers – Zach Eflin and Aaron Nola – were shelved for the season with injuries.
The breaking balls led to chases.
The loss was the fourth in the last five games for the Phillies, and their seventh in the last 10 games. “Just getting back to repeating my delivery, getting good mechanics and trusting it like a fastball”.
A few pitches before his home run, Cespedes hit a foul line drive about head high that had Syndergaard darting and ducking out of the way as he took a short lead off third base. “Two weeks ago, that would have hit him right in the middle of the back”. He reached 11 career home runs faster than anyone in major league history – 23 games, including two hitless games previous year.
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Montero, a forgotten man after a forgettable series of stints with the Mets, has rediscovered success at Double-A Binghamton, to an extent. He was replaced by Alejandro De Aza, who drew a leadoff walk to start a three-run sixth.RF Jay Bruce struck out all four times, drawing boos from the home crowd. Collins said this is the first time Cespedes has complained of any pain or discomfort in his quad since returning from the 15-day disabled list on August 19.
