Mets 18 – D’backs 4
PHOENIX – It might be impossible for a team to play better than this.
That run for the playoffs, that charge to the postseason, that sprint to contention – it’s happening right now for the Mets. And the way they are playing, that sprint could turn into a marathon.
The Mets are not only winning games on the road right now, they are routing games on the road. They are playing superb baseball in every way, flawless really, in what is their best run of the season.
Last night was their third straight victory, an 18-4 destruction of the Diamondbacks in which the Mets were up 13 runs after the first six innings for the second straight night.
The Mets’ 18 runs were their most since they scored 19 in 1990. Last night, they also set club records for total bases (44) and extra-base hits (13).
The three-game domination so far here in Arizona has been stunning. The Mets have won the first three games by a combined mark of 36-6, have committed only one error, have gotten at least seven innings from all three starting pitchers and have not trailed in the series.
Granted, the Diamondbacks are awful. But the Mets are still playing near-perfect.
Because of it, they remain two games behind wild-card leader Philadelphia, a half-game back from Houston and tied with the Marlins and Nationals.
The victories this week have been collaborative efforts. But nobody has been a bigger surprise than Mike Jacobs.
Jacobs, who celebrates his ninth day in the majors today, is on a Joe Hardyesque run. He blasted two more homers last night – giving him four in 13 atbats in four games – and also doubled, singled, walked and scored five runs.
Jacobs’ first homer last night came in his first at-bat and ninth at-bat overall, making him the first player to go yard three times in his first nine atbats since Pittsburgh’s Craig Wilson in 2001, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.
Meanwhile, Jose Reyes went 3-for-5 with a homer, four RBIs and three runs scored, while David Wright went 4-for-5 with two homers, a walk and four runs scored and at one point, reached base in nine straight plate appearances from Tuesday into last night. Ramon Castro added two hits, two walks, two RBIs and three runs scored.
It all probably overshadowed the fact that Jae Seo again was strong, permitting just two runs in seven innings to move to 6-1.
Seo’s now given up three runs in his last 37 1/3 innings. His ERA is better than Roger Clemens’ – the Rocket’s at 1.56, while Seo is at 1.30.
The Mets’ first five-run inning last night came in the second. Wright walked to lead off and scored when right fielder Chad Tracy slipped while going after Victor Diaz’s shot. It ended up an RBI double, and Jacobs followed with a two-run blast to right.
The Mets loaded the bases and scored two more when Carlos Beltran hit into a double play. After one run scored, Kazuo Matsui made the smart play of getting into a rundown between first and second. The D’backs botched it, as they could not get him early enough to prevent Reyes from scoring all the way from second for a 5-0 lead.
The Mets added two more in the third (RBI doubles from Jacobs and Seo), another in the fourth (Reyes tripled and scored on Beltran’s sac fly) and five more in the fifth (Castro’s two-run double, Reyes’ three-run shot).
Wright added solo homers in the sixth and seventh. Jacobs added his second homer in the ninth.
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WILD-CARD RACE
TEAM REC GB
Phillies 69-59 –
Astros 67-60 1 1/2
Mets 66-60 2
Marlins 66-60 2
Nationals 66-60 2