Heck, if everyone is going to play like this after breaking/jamming fingers, let’s line them all up to have their hands whacked! It may not have been the first inning this time, but a pair of home runs would seal the deal for the Mets tonight in their win over the Braves, thus breaking the Bravos’ 5-game winning streak.
In addition to his much-improved pitching from his first outing, Dillon Gee also had his defense behind him tonight. Gee pitched an absolute beauty and picked up his first win of 2012 tonight, going 7 innings, striking out 5, and allowing only 1 run. Jon Rauch and Tim Byrdak would cap off the night pitching perfect 8th and 9th innings, respectively.
And how ’bout that Ike Davis?? He-of-the-gorgeous-swing has returned, hitting a 3-run blast in the 6th inning to put the Mets ahead for good. Ike’s poise seems to be returning and maybe his desert fever is finally subsiding, but whatever the case may be, he’s headed in the right direction. Originally walking David Wright in order to pitch to Ike, Tommy Hanson and the Braves soon paid for that mistake. By the way, in addition to his intentional walk, Wright singled in the first inning, becoming the first player in franchise history to reach base at least twice in each of his first seven games.
Speaking of heading in the right direction, there is no one in the Mets dugout who was more in need of some good luck than Jason Bay. Bay hit his 2nd home run of the week, a solo shot in the 9th to give the game its final score of 6-1. He also made a catch Endy Chavez would have been proud of, thus robbing Braves’ SS Jack Wilson of a would-be home run.
Turning Point
Ike Davis’ 3-run bomb that put the Mets up 4-1, after which they just kept on rolling!
Moment(s) of Note
Jason Chavez…er, I mean Bay…and his leaping grab. Also, Ruben Tejada seemed in the right place at the right time all night, most notably when he caught a line drive laser hit directly to him from Chipper Jones
Game Ball
This could go to Dillon Gee, Ike Davis or Jason Bay. My vote goes to Jason Bay I think. He needed a night like this SO badly. He was stellar tonight on both offense AND defense, both hitting a solo home run and also robbing Jack Wilson of one for the Braves.
Next Game
Johan Santana (0-1, 0.90 ERA) will take the mound tomorrow against Randall Delgado (1-o, 3.60 ERA) as the Mets (7-3) and the Braves (5-5) play game 2 of their 3-game series at Turner Field tomorrow night at 7:10 pm. The game can be seen on SNY and heard on WFAN660 AM. @MetsWFAN @dailystache @Meriwyn
Let’s go METS!!
