5/24 Game Recap: Game Suspended, 5-5 In 9th

By Rich Sparago
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The Braves and the Mets played 8 cold and rainy innings at Citi Field tonight. The game was suspended by rain before the 9th inning began, and will be resumed before the regularly scheduled game tomorrow night. Jeremy Hefner started for the Mets and pitched 6 strong innings. Hefner allowed a first-inning home run to Freddie Freeman, a two-run shot that landed in the Pepsi Porch. After that, Hefner allowed just 2 more hits over his next 5 innings. Hefner left the game after the 6th innings, when the Mets were leading 3-2. The Mets scored their runs on RBIs by Lucas Duda, Marlon Byrd, and a bomb of a home run by John Buck. It didn’t take long for the Mets bullpen to surrender the lead, as LaTroy Hawkins came on to pitch the 7th, and gave up a home run to Dan Uggla, the first hitter he faced. Then, in the 8th inning, Greg Burke gave up a pinch-hit single with the bases loaded to Evan Gattis, on which the Braves scored 2 runs. Burke was pitching in relief of Scott Rice, who left the game with two on and two out.

May 22, 2013; New York, NY, USA; New York Mets second baseman Daniel Murphy (28) hits an RBI single against the Cincinnati Reds during the seventh inning of a game at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

The Mets rallied to tie the game in the bottom of the 8th. Daniel Murphy drove in John Buck with a single, and on the play Ruben Tejada went to 3rd with 2 outs. Tejada scored on a wild pitch to knot the game at 5.

Highlights:

  •  It was nice to see John Buck hit a long ball, his first in 52 at-bats.
  • Hefner deserved a better fate. He settled in nicely after giving up the first inning home run to Freeman.
  • Daniel Murphy had 3 hits in the leadoff spot, and is proving to be a viable option at the top of the order.

Lowlights:

  • Lucas Duda left 4 runners on base, and continues to struggle with runners in scoring position.
  •  The Mets’ bullpen had been pitching better of late, but the combination of Rice, Hawkins and Burke were ineffective tonight.

Thoughts:

The Mets showed life tonight. After the Gattis hit put the Braves ahead in the 8th, the Mets could have rolled over. They did not. They battled in the bottom of the 8th, and scratched out 2 runs. Let’s hope that this is the beginning of better times for the club.

The Mets had Lucas Duda hitting cleanup tonight. Duda was hitting .111 with runners in scoring position going into the game. Although he drove in one run with a gift, bloop single that was mis-played by Justin Upton, Duda left 4 runners on, and struck out looking in an important spot. The Mets will need to address the cleanup spot this off-season, and try to find a run producer.

Daniel Murphy is showing to be a viable option, for now, in the leadoff spot.

Next Up:

The Mets will resume this game at 6:10 tomorrow night, before the 7:15 game with the Braves..

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