New York Mets’ General Manager Sandy Alderson said yesterday that the team still has inventory to deal after shipping Neil Walker to the Milwaukee Brewers for the infamous “Player To Be Named Later”. One of the remaining items for sale is outfielder Curtis Granderson, who is back in an every day role after the Mets dumped Jay Bruce’s salary on the Cleveland Indians. Granderson built his case for a new home today, going 3 for 5 and finishing a triple shy of the cycle as the Mets (53-62) topped the Philadelphia Phillies (43-72) 6-2 to complete a series victory.
The Mets’ offense came mostly via the long ball, as Michael Conforto crushed yet another homer, a two run shot (26) in the first. That makes 11 home runs for Conforto after the All Star Break as he continues to demonstrate that he can be the man for the Mets going forward. Granderson joined the fun in the fifth, launching a two run homer (17) off Phillies’ starter Zach Eflin to give the Mets a three run lead. That would be all the Mets would get against Eflin (L, 1-4), who allowed four runs in 5.1 innings.
Mets’ starter Chris Flexen wasn’t spectacular, but he did well enough to get the job done and earn a victory. Flexen (W, 2-1) scattered six hits and four walks in five innings of work, but he did just enough to pick up a second straight win. The Phillies helped out Flexen with some dumb base running in the fifth, when they managed to turn a potential sacrifice fly into a double play after Odubel Herrera tried advancing to third on the throw home. The only problem was that Freddy Galvis didn’t try to score, leaving Herrera with egg on his face as he was tagged out at third.
The Mets tacked on two more runs in the seventh thanks to RBI singles from Granderson and Wilmer Flores, accounting for the final margin. The bullpen then did its job, tossing four scoreless innings in relief of Flexen to seal the win.
Player of the Game:
Today’s Player of the Game Award goes to Mets’ outfielder Curtis Granderson. The Grandy Man had a strong day at the plate, going 3 for 5 with three runs scored and three RBI’s to boost his trade value.
Post Game Notes:
- The Mets won on a Sunday for the first time since June 25th, when they completed a sweep of the San Francisco Giants at AT&T Park.
- Conforto’s last five base hits have been home runs.
- The Mets have won 17 of their last 20 series with the Phillies dating back to 2014.
What’s Next:
The Mets will continue their road trip as they kick off the annual Subway Series in the Bronx tomorrow against the New York Yankees (61-54). Rafael Montero (1-8, 6.06 ERA) will start for the Mets. The Yankees will counter with lefty Caleb Smith (0-1, 7.20 ERA), who will take the rotation spot of Masahiro Tanaka, who landed on the disabled list due to arm soreness over the weekend. First pitch for the opener of the Yankee Stadium portion of the Subway Series is scheduled for 7:05 pm at Yankee Stadium.
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