The Mets went up 3-0, fell behind 7-3, then went ahead 9-8 late on James McCann‘s two-run home run in the eighth. After a third blown save by Edwin Diaz in the ninth, the Mets scored six runs between two extra innings to win 15-11.
Here are a few takeaways from the game:
1. It was a bad day to bet the under. In the top of the first, it was 3-0 three batters in thanks to a single by Brandon Nimmo and homers by Pete Alonso and Jeff McNeil off Vladimir Gutiérrez. By the end of the first inning it was 4-3, Reds. By the halfway point of the game, it was tied, 7-7.
2. McCann’s go-ahead home run in the eighth inning was a pinch-hit homer. It was the fourth such home run for the Mets on the season. In Luis Rojas‘ place — he served the first of a two-game suspension for “excessive arguing” — bench coach Dave Jauss made the perfect call at the perfect time.
3. Both starters had a rough go of it. New York’s Jerad Eickhoff went 3.2 innings, allowing six hits and seven runs, though only two were earned, with one walk and three Ks. Gutiérrez lasted only four innings with six earned runs, nine hits and three home runs allowed.
4. The reason Eickhoff allowed five earned runs were the four errors committed by the Mets in the first 1.1 innings of the game. Three of came from Luis Guillorme (including two on one play) and the other from Jeff McNeil. Guillorme, who did bounce back with two hits, entered the game with only three errors on the year.
It was the first time the Mets won a game while committing four errors since July, 2000.
5. After allowing an inherited runner to score in the seventh which made it 8-7 Reds, Seth Lugo pitched a scoreless eighth inning, but Diaz’s third consecutive blown save tied the game at 9-9 to put the game into extras.
6. Both sides scored their free runners in the 10th inning but couldn’t tack on anymore — even though the Reds had runners on first and second with nobody out. LHP Anthony Banda made his Mets debut in the 10th in a relief effort.
But the Mets exploded in the scoring five runs in the 11th — including back-to-back home runs (for the second time Monday night) by Kevin Pillar and Michael Conforto — to separate themselves for good.
7. The Mets finished with 18 hits and seven home runs overall. (Alonso, McNeil, Conforto (twice), Dom Smith, Pillar and McCann.)
Highlights:
What’s next?
The Mets have still not announced a starter for their game on Tuesday against the Reds at 7:10 p.m. on SNY. Wade Miley (7-4, 2.80 ERA) will pitch for Cincinnati.