The Mets this Spring must like to win it in the ninth. Scoring wise in this game, they started off down 3-0, then tied it, and then eventually they were down 8-4. In the 8th inning they scored 4 runs and tied it. Then they got the winning run in the bottom of the ninth. Like any a game that has large jumps in scoring, there was good pitching and there was bad pitching. There was good hitting and bad hitting. Here are the box highlights from today:
The Good:
Castillo 1-2, 2 RBI, BB
Evans 1-1, R, 4 RBI, HR (Grand Slam)
Murphy 2-3
Stokes 1.0 IP, no hits, no walks, no runs
Rivera 1-2, R, RBI, HR
Reed 2-4, 2R, RBI
The Bad:
Castro 0-3
Knight 2.0 IP, 4H, 3 ER, K
Sanchez 1.0 IP, 3H, 2R, ER, BB, 2K
Fossum 1.2 IP, 3H, 3R, 2ER, 3K
Castillo performed well today, and at a big time too, the bases were loaded when he hit his single. That is the type of situations the Mets did not perform in last year, and you need to get hits with RISP. The Mets got another bases loaded situation, and Evans really took advatage of it with his Grand Slam. On the topic of bench players like Evans hitting well, Reed is holding his stake continueing his amazing spring with with another 2-4 day, with two runs, and RBI.
On the pitching side, I can't believe I am saying this but going into today I think Knight had a shot of making the rotation due to the faults of Hernandez, Redding, and Garcia. But he came into today and pitched really poorly in the first inning, and then picked it up in the second inning. He could still get this spot….Although I hope he doesn't because his upside isn't that much.
