RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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See the full story · 1 sourcesWhile the Mets , who won again on Friday night, have begun to hit their stride during this four-game winning streak, especially offensively, it’s the team’s rookies and young players that are leading the way.
Yes, Marcus Semien had the big blast against the Pittsburgh Pirates with a three-run shot, his second in as many games, but A.J. Ewing and Carson Benge , who had to leave in the fourth inning with wrist soreness, combined for five hits, which was half the team’s total.
Defensively, Ewing and Benge also each made spectacular plays in the outfield as the Mets and their fans have grown accustomed to seeing. In fact, Benge’s web gem was too good as his sliding catch at the wall in left field resulted in him jamming his wrist, which caused the soreness that took him out of the game.
“He sacrificed his body and that’s all you can ask for from your outfielders,” Semien said.
Interim manager Andy Green said after the game that Benge’s X-rays were negative and that the team will see how he feels on Saturday. Hopefully it’s nothing major so the red-hot rookie can be back out there helping to lead the charge as he has the entirety of New York’s win streak.
Over the last four games, Benge is 7-for-17 with two home runs, a triple, five RBI, six runs scored and a stolen base. Looking back even further, the youngster is slashing .304/.362/.470 in his last 30 games and has looked totally comfortable wherever the Mets put him in the outfield.
As for Ewing, he went 3-for-4 with a double, two runs scored and a steal on Friday night atop the lineup and is 6-for-16 with three doubles during the team’s four-game win streak.
“The talent is through the roof,” Semien said about the pair of rookies. “I know the organization knew that. A.J. started the year in I think Double-A, so it’s exciting for him to come up here and produce right away because you don’t always see that. But those guys have been a spark in our lineup for sure.”
On the pitching side, after Sean Manaea turned in a great performance on Tuesday to kick off this streak, Christian Scott , Nolan McLean and Zac Thornton have all followed suit and have shown varying degrees of dominance.
On Friday, it was Thornton who probably turned in the best outing of them all after he went five scoreless innings with a rain delay in between.
“I felt really good despite that delay. Still felt the same,” the left-hander said.
Thornton, who rebounded nicely after a difficult start his last time out, needed just 63 pitches to get through those five innings and likely would’ve pitched deeper into the game had it not been for the delay, which caused him to use some of his bullets while trying to stay warm.
He now has a 2.52 ERA in seven starts and is the latest Met rookie to prove his worth.
“I think this is awesome,” Thornton said of the win streak and how the team is playing right now. “We got a ton of energy, a ton of grit and energy in this clubhouse, guys that are hungry for it, guys that are hungry to win. We’re playing for each other so it’s awesome to see.”
New York still has a long way to go in the standings and will need nothing short of a miracle to make the playoffs, but after such a letdown of a season, the rookies are not only helping the team win, but giving fans a reason to be invested once again.
"Four wins in a row. Anytime you win four in a row, there’s definitely good vibes," Semien said. "I think the way we’re winning, with the offense, is a good sign. You think about kinda the grind the offense had been on in the first half and the way we’re winning games is definitely gonna bring good vibes."
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