Lucas Duda’s awful homestand concluded with a hellacious clap of thunder.
The Mets first baseman hit a monstrous two-run homer in the eighth inning Wednesday against Bryan Morris, giving the Mets a cushion in their 5-0 victory over the Pirates at Citi Field.
Duda finished 4-for-24 (.167) on the homestand, which included a forgettable performance on Saturday when he stranded seven runners in a loss to the Diamondbacks. Over the three games against Arizona, he stranded 15 runners.
“I feel the same,” Duda said. “I’ve still got to drive those runners in depending on the situation in the game, but it’s starting to turn a little bit, so we’ll see how it goes this next road trip.”
Manager Terry Collins called Duda’s blast a “big” home run given his team’s offensive struggles.
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“These are the ones that can really spring you forward,” Collins said. “You can breathe in the dugout because this whole homestand we did nothing but try to edge our way through games.”
Travis d’Arnaud was activated from the disabled list after the game and Juan Centeno was optioned to Triple-A Las Vegas. D’Arnaud said he felt “great” two weeks after suffering a concussion on Alfonso Soriano’s backswing.
Bartolo Colon got career strikeout No. 2,000 in the sixth inning, when Ike Davis was caught looking.
Colon was asked about his habit of carrying his bat when running to first base.
“I just figure I’ll take it myself so the batboy won’t have to get it,” Colon said.
Daniel Murphy would have been nailed attempting to reach second base in the third inning on Pedro Alvarez’s throwing error if shortstop Jordy Mercer had caught the throw from Neil Walker. But Mercer missed the ball, allowing Murphy to reach third.
“Sometimes [Murphy] thinks he’s invisible and you have to remind him people can see you,” David Wright said. “The effort is there and he wants to make something happen. Sometimes you have to pull in the reins a little bit.”
Additional reporting by Fred Kerber