Brandon Nimmo, David Peterson deliver as Mets surge into wild-card tie
New York Mets' Brandon Nimmo hits a three-run double during the fifth inning against the Washington Nationals on Thursday. Credit: AP/Adam Hunger
The Mets have completely changed the complexion of their season in less than six weeks.
As recently as June 2, they were 11 games under .500 with a bad outlook. After a nicely executed 7-0 victory over the Nationals on Thursday afternoon before 25,710 at Citi Field, the club has pulled even with San Diego for the third wild card in the National League.
While it’s still July — and they have 70 games left — no one should be surprised in the next 24 hours if they hear sentences that begin with the phrase “if the season ended today,” because the Mets are 3-0 this season against the Padres and thus have a leg up on the tiebreaker.
“Obviously what we went through the month of May and how far back we got, to be able to get to this position is a good feeling,” manager Carlos Mendoza said. “But also understanding that we still got a long ways to go.”
“We've put in a lot of work to get back to this point because we dug ourselves a bit of a hole,” Brandon Nimmo said. “We believe we're a good team. We don't believe this is just a fluke . . . We believe we're not that far off from being a serious contender.”
The Mets' first shutout of the season gives them five wins in six games.
The Mets’ ascent from their low-water mark to this spot — a stretch where they are 23-10 — has coincided with the surging play of David Peterson and Nimmo, among others. And Peterson and Nimmo were front and center in Thursday's win. Peterson pitched six scoreless innings and was at his best when Washington threatened, and Nimmo delivered a three-run double as the Mets scored five runs — all with two outs — in the bottom of the fifth to break a scoreless game open.
Peterson allowed four hits and three walks while striking out five in the 102-pitch performance. He is 4-0 with a 3.09 ERA in eight starts since he came back from November hip surgery.
“I wanted to come back and help contribute and when the guys grinded for the first two months,” Peterson said. “I wanted to come in and help kind of lift some of that [struggle] that they had and . . . give the team a chance to win every time I take the ball.”
The lefthander was best under pressure. Washington put runners on the corners in the first two innings and he escaped both; he got an inning ending flyout in the first and three straight strikeouts in the second. He also got an inning-ending grounder with two on in the fifth.
“For me, it's just keeping the mentality the same,” he said of the situations. “Be aggressive and attack and trust that my stuff is better than theirs.”
Phil Maton, acquired in a Tuesday trade with Tampa Bay, pitched a 1-2-3 seventh with two strikeouts in his Mets debut. Danny Young (two outs) and Dedniel Nunez got through the eighth. Adam Ottavino shakily worked into and out of a bases-loaded jam in a scoreless ninth.
The Mets loaded the bases for Nimmo in the fifth on Luis Torrens’ leadoff double and two-out walks by Jeff McNeil and Francisco Lindor. Nimmo continued a tear he's on with a bases-clearing double to the gap in left center. J.D. Martinez (three hits) and Pete Alonso followed with run-scoring singles to cap the rally.
Nimmo, arguably snubbed for an All-Star selection, is batting .360 with five extra-base hits and 10 RBIs over the past six games.
“He deserves to be an All-Star . . . but I don't know that [gives] extra motivation,” Mendoza said. “[His] motivation here is to win games.”
The outfielder said these results come after two seasons of work streamlining his swing path so he’d have “more room for error [so] I don't always have to catch the ball just right.”
“Just really glad that I've been able to come through for the team in those big moments and when we need them,” he added.
The Mets tacked on in the eighth inning with run-scoring singles by Mark Vientos and Harrison Bader.
The Mets now stand 47-45 and play three home games against a Colorado team 28 games under .500 before the All-Star break. The Mets haven't been two wins above .500 (13-11) since April 25.
If the Mets can keep this roll going against the Rockies, they might start the second half with a playoff position to defend.
Roger Rubin returned to Newsday in 2018 to write about high schools, colleges and baseball following 20 years at the Daily News. A Baseball Hall of Fame voter since 2011, he has covered 13 MLB postseasons and 14 NCAA Final Fours.
