A Baby Cycle

Brandon Nimmo hit two home runs, Pete Alonso hit a rocket, and Francisco Lindor went deep to help provide Jose Quintana (or Jose deQuam, when he doesn’t get enough runs) a W in an 11-5 victory. Quintana himself was his usual dependable self, going seven innings while giving up a run on four hits and a walk on 97 pitches (67 strikes).

But what this game will be knows as is the game where the “Baby Mets” all started a game for the first time this season, and they delivered. They went 6-for-13 with six RBI, and between them, they hit for the cycle. Francisco Alvarez homered and doubled, Brett Baty and Ronny Mauricio drove in runs with singles (for Mauricio, his first major league RBI), and Mark Vientos hit a triple off the top of the center field wall. Alvarez even threw in a stolen base, and Baty kicked in a web gem to finish off the win.

WHAT A PLAY BY BRETT BATY TO END THE GAME! pic.twitter.com/pCcR5oWJpc

— SNY (@SNYtv) September 6, 2023

Now … before we get crazy, and because I like to throw cold water on things, remember that this was Patrick Corbin on the mound for the Nationals. On Bark in the Park night, Corbin was dog food. And not even, like, The Farmer’s Dog. He was like that large bag of dry food that’s been in the cabinet for a year. The game was so out of hand early that Gare was fascinated by a cricket in the booth, and against Keith’s behest, didn’t want to shoo it away because he was fascinated by it. Remember that this is Gary Cohen, who on nights when FOX or ESPN is airing the game, will sit in the stands anyway to watch the game. And even this game wasn’t as fascinating to him as a cricket.

Also, Steve Gelbs interviewed a dog.

.@SteveGelbs does an incredible interview with Blue the Dog at tonight's game! 😂 pic.twitter.com/G38ehDUdCd

— SNY (@SNYtv) September 6, 2023

That Sports Emmy is yours, Gelbs.

I’m convinced that the only reason the game got so close was that Gare had to go mention the Kurt Suzuki game. From there the Nationals would score the last three of their four runs in the 8th to make it 10-5. But Brandon Nimmo’s second home run of the game gave the Mets just enough breathing room to make it almost impossible for Drew Smith to gak it. (I know that it was a six run lead that Edwin Diaz blew in 2019 but I’m just going to assume that was before the alien abduction turned Diaz into Henry Rowengartner.)

It was the first time the Mets had started four rookies in a game since October of 2017 (Dominic Smith, Tomas Nido, Amed Rosario, and Gavin Cecchini), so the Mets turned the clock way back tonight. Also turning back the clock to a time when the Mets were getting injured in every way, shape, and form possible was Carlos Carrasco, who reportedly dropped a dumbbell on his finger and cracked it, and now he’s going to miss the season. Sounds a little too convenient for me, like when John Colby had to break Tony Lewis’ arm so that Richard Hatch could play keeper for the Allied team and help them escape to Paris.

Today’s Hate List

1. Andres Machado
2. Patrick Corbin
3. Hauptsturmführer Lutz
4. Baumann
5. Schmidt