PHOENIX — Late Wednesday night, Brandon Nimmo delivered an impassioned defense of the Mets‘ recent play. The team could only control what they could control, which is winning individual battles. Winning every game isn’t possible in baseball, which is why series wins matter so much.
They needed to win Thursday’s rubber game against the Arizona Diamondbacks. They badly needed the series win. They had one of their best pitchers on the mound in David Peterson and a healthy lineup. As it tends to be with the Mets, the margin for error was thin.
This time, one run was just enough.
One night after blowing a save and costing the Mets a win, Edwin Diaz came through in the bottom of the ninth. He redeemed himself by retiring the Diamondbacks to secure a 3-2 victory for the Mets on Thursday afternoon at Chase Field. The Mets won the series, 2-1, to stay alive in the NL Wild Card race.
The key run came in the top of the ninth. Facing Arizona closer Justin Martinez, Jesse Winker hit a two-out double to left-center field. Tyrone Taylor replaced him as a pinch-runner and moved over to third on a fly ball by J.D. Martinez, which proved to be crucial. Jose Iglesias then sent a ground ball past a diving Gerardo Perdomo at shortstop to score Taylor and put the Mets ahead, 3-2.
Iglesias then stole second and made it to third when catcher Adrian Del Castillo overthrew second base, but Jeff McNeil struck out, sending the game into the bottom of the ninth.
Despite Diaz’s struggles in his last two games, the Mets stuck to their closer. It was the conventional decision. This time, it paid off.
Once again, it was a walk that proved problematic for the team that has issued more than every other team in baseball except for one. With the Mets up 1-0 after Pete Alonso’s second-inning home run, Peterson walked leadoff man Perdomo with two out in the third. Randall Grichuk then took the left-hander deep for a two-run shot, costing the Mets a lead.
Francisco Lindor inched closer to his second straight 30-30 season with a game-tying home run off of right-hander Ryne Nelson in the sixth. His 28th of the season evened the score at 2-2 in a series that was already even at 1-1.
The MVP chants that have followed him all the way from New York started up again as Mets fans clung to hope that it would spark a run, but the two teams remained tied until Taylor scored.
Peterson faced runners on the corners with one out in the bottom of the seventh after McNeil overthrew Lindor at second base trying to turn a double play. The infield converged on the mound while second baseman Kevin Newman came to the plate. Peterson then induced a 5-4-3 inning-ending double play.
The lefty went seven innings for the third straight start, holding the Diamondbacks to two earned runs on seven hits, walking two and striking out four. Nelson had a similar line, giving up two earned runs on eight hits and striking out four over 6 1/3 innings.
It then became a battle of the bullpens. The Mets were down a man in the ‘pen after placing right-hander Dedniel Nuñez on the injured list prior to the game.
Right-hander Ryan Thompson then retired the Mets in order on 12 pitches in the top of the eighth. Right-hander Jose Butto walked pinch-hitter Joc Pederson with two outs but he was caught stealing to end the inning.
The Mets (70-64) are 4-3 through seven games of a 10-game road trip and conclude the journey this weekend in Chicago against the MLB-worst White Sox. The Diamondbacks (76-58), who lead the NL Wild Card standings, will host the NL West-leading Los Angeles Dodgers for a four-game Labor Day series.
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