Mets Game 140: Win Over Nationals

Mets 3 Nationals 2

Wow! Two wins in a row! And, a series win!

It is very encouraging to see that the Buffalo Bisons can beat the Washington Nationals, when they have a couple of “ringers” in the lineup. Even more encouraging when the performance of those ringers is not necessary to win the game.

Game Notes

As has often been the case in games he’s started this season, R.A. Dickey was the story. Dickey went 6 innings, allowing only 2 runs on 5 hits and no walks. His ability to avoid walks is incredible for a knuckleballer, but then, nothing about R.A. has been normal this year. It’s simply a joy to sit back and watch this Cinderella story continue.

Kudos to the Mets bullpen for finishing up the last three innings; it took only four pitchers to cover those frames. Hisanori Takahashi earned his fifth save, which is good not only for the Mets but also for my fantasy team.

Hard to pinpoint an offensive star in this game. Dickey was one of two Mets to collect more than one hit — he was 2-for-2 with a run scored. Luis Hernandez was the other, going 2-for-4 with an RBI; he is beginning to make people forget Argenis Reyes. Carlos Beltran drove in a run with a sac fly, and Nick Evans hit a pinch-hit RBI double to drive home the go-ahead third run for the Mets in the seventh.

There are only 22 games left, and the Mets are a solid 9 games ahead of the Nationals in the standings, so I believe their stronghold on fourth place is safe. Though, you never know …

Next Mets Game

Thursday is a travel day, and the Mets return home to Flushing on Friday to host the Phillies. Jenrry Mejia takes the ball against Roy Halladay. Game time is 7:10 PM.

Joe Janish began MetsToday in 2005 to provide the unique perspective of a high-level player and coach -- he earned NCAA D-1 All-American honors as a catcher and coached several players who went on to play pro ball. As a result his posts often include mechanical evaluations, scout-like analysis, and opinions that go beyond the numbers. Follow Joe's baseball tips on Twitter at @onbaseball and at the On Baseball Google Plus page.
  1. micalpalyn September 9, 2010 at 9:00 am
    The Mets won! Your post really points to the obvious….next yr. In the last 2 days…really 3 The Mets have featured several players who represent next yr who contributed to wins. Thole, Tejada, Evans, Davis and Gee are look like potential contributers if not core components….
  2. ChrisXL September 9, 2010 at 4:56 pm
    “…stronghold on fourth place”. LOL!
  3. micalpalyn September 10, 2010 at 7:26 am