NY Mets are really lucky the Reds didn't sweep them this weekend

It’s better to be lucky than good, at least today it was for the New York Mets. Beating the Cincinnati Reds on Sunday felt like watching some guy in Vegas split two tens, hit a six and a five, and somehow walk away richer than you. The Mets didn’t exactly earn this win; they just happened to be the ones still standing when the dust settled. Call it fortune. Call it a favor from the baseball gods.

This wasn’t the kind of win that builds confidence so much as it escapes judgment. The Mets spent much of the afternoon skating on thin ice, and a few well-timed breaks kept them from falling through. The scoreboard said win, sure, but the story behind it was far messier. And far too familiar.
The Mets escaped but showed similar warning signs.

The Mets escaped but showed similar warning signs.

The Amazins' once again failed to cash in when it counted, going 2-for-10 with runners in scoring position Sunday. Early on, they pushed the envelope with two sacrifice bunts and a stolen base to move runners into scoring position, converting twice. After that, they kept getting chances but couldn’t make the key hits, showing once more that timing can matter more than quantity.

David Peterson turned in another strong outing, pitching six innings while giving up four hits, one walk, and just one unearned run. He threw 93 pitches before Carlos Mendoza pulled him early. In his previous start against the Orioles, he went seven innings and 90 pitches. Peterson was cruising, yet Mendoza chose to pull him before he could reach 100 pitches and work deeper into the game. With a bullpen that has shown instability, relying so heavily on relief arms is a gamble that turns promising starts into nail-biters.

The bullpen showed why in the eighth inning. Edwin Diaz entered for a four-out save with a runner on first and two outs but walked a batter, allowed a single, and hit another to tie the game. Mendoza turned to Stanek in the ninth, who closed it out but hasn’t exactly inspired confidence in tight situations. The Mets escaped the weekend sweep, but it was far closer than they deserved.

Today, the Mets escaped more by happenstance than sharp play. When clutch hitting falls short and the bullpen wobbles under pressure, sometimes all that stands between a win and a sweep is a little break going your way. It wasn’t a flawless victory; it was a narrow one, held together by timing and just enough luck to keep the Reds from finishing the job.