PHOENIX — Dedniel Nuñez had a four-run result in work with when he took the mound for his season debut. But it surely was apparent from the beginning that the right-handed reliever wasn’t as much as the duty.
The Mets held on to defeat the Arizona Diamondbacks 5-4 on Monday night time at Chase Area in a recreation that largely got here all the way down to pitching selections. Ultimately, the Mets made the suitable ones, particularly in bringing in nearer Edwin Diaz after making an attempt to restrict his utilization in latest days. However Carlos Mendoza took some dangers in going to his bullpen early and going to Nuñez within the high of the eighth.
The Mets have been up 5-1 due to residence runs by Pete Alonso and Francisco Lindor. Thus far this season, the Mets have had a brief leash on most of their starters, however on Griffin Canning particularly. It was no totally different in his seventh begin of the season, with the Mets pulling the right-hander after he allowed a leadoff stroll within the sixth inning.
“Still kind of leaves a sour taste in my mouth to walk that guy there in the sixth and get pulled,” Canning mentioned. “But I’m going to keep working to get deeper in the games and keep going one pitch at a time.”
He had thrown solely 82 pitches and allowed one run, however nonetheless, the Mets thought it greatest to go to the bullpen for Huascar Brazobán.
It was an excellent resolution, because the right-hander acquired the primary batter he confronted, Josh Naylor, to floor right into a double play. Brazobán acquired 5 outs and allowed no baserunners. Canning earned the win (5-1), hanging out six and holding Arizona to just one earned run, a first-inning solo shot by Corbin Carroll.
However then the Mets went to Nuñez.
A fireballing, however late-blooming right-hander who emerged seemingly out of nowhere final season on the age of 27, Nuñez began the season in Triple-A to permit for extra time to construct up after an damage ended his season prematurely final summer time. He was known as up Sunday for a doubleheader in St. Louis, however didn’t play.
The Mets discovered him what they thought could be a tender spot with a 5-1 lead. Comfortable or not, he couldn’t throw strikes. Nuñez walked all three hitters he confronted and threw a wild pitch.
“He just didn’t have it today,” mentioned Mendoza. “Up four, he gets to 3-2 and he goes to the breaking ball. This is a guy that should throw his fastball.”
Nuñez walked Geraldo Perdomo on six pitches, then threw a wild pitch to Corbin Carroll and walked him on six pitches too. Ketel Marte was issued a six-pitch stroll as nicely to load the bases.
“First time out, he’ll be alright,” Mendoza mentioned. “But this was one of those nights where he just didn’t have it.”
Reed Garrett got here in to face a bases-loaded jam. He struck out Pavin Smith earlier than Naylor hit a line drive to shallow heart area to attain Perdomo. Eugenio Suarez then hit one off the wall in heart area to attain two extra. It ought to have been a bases-clearing double, however a baserunning blunder by Naylor prevented one other run from scoring.
As an alternative of rounding second, Naylor stutter-stepped to look again at Taylor, who had the ball in loads of time and hit the cutoff man with precision. Naylor stopped at second, and the Diamondbacks couldn’t shut the hole.
Within the ninth, with Diaz on the mound for the save, an error by Alonso put Alek Thomas on base. However Francisco Alvarez threw a bullet to Lindor at second base to catch Thomas stealing. The throw was simply in entrance of the bag, making it a tough play for Lindor, however the shortstop let the momentum of the catch carry him proper into the runner.
The Diamondbacks challenged the decision, and it was upheld.
“I tried to keep my foot on the ball as long as I could to not be in the runner’s way,” Lindor mentioned. “And then you literally just dive for it.”
Diaz retired the following two for the save (eight).
Alonso made it 2-1 with a house run off right-hander Ryne Nelson (1-1) within the fourth, a 425-foot bomb to left area for his ninth of the season. Lindor hit a three-run shot off Ryan Thompson to interrupt the sport open within the seventh.
The Mets (23-13) and Diamondbacks (18-17) aren’t precisely rivals, however they play each other powerful. Final yr, the Mets fought for a comeback win at Chase Area that finally gave them a win within the head-to-head season sequence. That one win proved essential, breaking a tie on the finish of the season for the wild card.
Final week, the Snakes got here to Citi Area and took the sequence.
Each win counts between two powerful NL contenders. The Mets made the higher selections and got here out on high this time, and can now attempt to do it two extra instances this week.
“We’ve been here before,” Lindor mentioned. “They can come back in a hurry.”
