(You could tell by the title that I’ve given up on SEO.)
I guess you could say there were fireworks in the Mets’ 7-4 victory over the Reds on the date of our Independence. Not that there were any fights or anything like that, but when you have a pitcher who throws as hard and straight as Hunter Greene is doing right now, balls are going to Rocket Red Glare out of the yard. Brandon Nimmo’s three run dinger in the second was the first instance of this, as he absolutely crushed it to give the Mets a 3-0 lead. But Greene would settle down, living up to what I said about alternating between Hall of Fame talent and lost rookie, and he surely would do both in the same game.
Brandon Drury, part of the Cincinnati chapter of the New York Mafia along with Matt Reynolds and Albert Almora, would even the score with a three run dinger off Taijuan Walker in the third. But also true to Hunter Greene’s form, would settle down beyond that as those would be the only runs he would give up in six innings while also striking out nine batters. But the keys to the game for the Mets came in the middle innings.
Nimmo battled Greene hard in the fifth inning in a 12 pitch at-bat, fouling off fastball after fastball hoping for that slider that he ambushed Greene on for the first pitch dinger in the second. He got that slider and lined out to right field, but it gave Francisco Lindor a hint as to how Greene works. Lindor would use the intel that he got to give the Mets the lead, homering off an 99.8 mph fastball to put the Mets up 4-3.
Then in the sixth, Greene gave up a single to Jeff McNeil and a one out double to Mark Canha to put runners on second and third to bring up Dom Smith. David Bell would counter by going to Reiver Sanmartin, which reads like an old war movie starring Gregory Peck. With Irene Papas nowhere to be found (Papas is still with us at 95 so maybe she took in tonight’s game at Great American Ballpark but odds are probably not), Smith slammed a double to center field to drive home the squirrel and the foodie for a 6-3 lead and essentially put the game away. Eduardo Escobar drove in a run in the 7th, his 4th straight game with a run batted in, to give the Mets a 7-3 lead.
As for the bullpen, Drew Smith gave up a couple of those Red rockets, but only one of them went for a home run and he was able to finish the inning with the damage limited and the Mets leading 7-4. The eighth inning saw the return of Colin Holderman, who walked Brandon Drury to lead off the inning (wouldn’t you?) but set the rest of the lineup down in order, and Seth Lugo finished things off by pitching for the first time since Friday and navigating a two out hit to nail down the victory and end any chance that the ghose of Joe Randa is going to come from the great beyond (retirement) and walk off Braden Looper.
Today’s Hate List
1. Dakota Hudson
2. Dakota Johnson
3. Dakota Fanning
4. Jim Fanning
5. Jimmy Rollins
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