The Mets rolled over Cincinnati 8-2 last night after Carlos Beltran’s good-bye party in the clubhouse before the game.
In a move that is expected to become official later today, the Mets will send the All-Star out fielder to the Giants along with cash for top pitching prospect Zack Wheeler.
Despite missing their second best player, the Mets offense didn’t miss a beat. The two players that replaced Beltran in the lineup (Daniel Murphy batting 3rd and Lucas Duda playing in right field) combined to go 5 for 8 with a homerun, two doubles, and two RBIs.
David Wright, another player who would be called upon to pick up the slack for Beltran offensively, smacked a three run homerun, just a part of his two-hit 4 RBI performance at the dish last night.
[caption id="attachment_464" align="alignright" width="300" caption="Mike Pelfrey fires his first complete game since June 18, and the Mets bats, minus Beltran, pound 8 runs against the Reds. (Photo Credit: Getty Images)"]
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Combine the middle of the order’s explosion with Mike Pelfrey’s solid performance; the Reds never stood a chance.
Pelfrey only gave up two earned runs while going the distance. He got ahead of many of the Reds hitters, and kept them off balance throughout the entire game. Joey Votto’s homerun in the fourth inning and Jay Bruce’s triple in the seventh did not seem to bother him, as he collected himself on the mound and just went after the next guy. He pitched with confidence, something that he has missed in his last six starts, in which he went 1-4 with a 4.88 ERA.
Today’s start was definitely a step in the right direction for the tall right-hander. If the Mets want to remain in the wild card hunt, they are going to have to get more quality outings from their starters, specifically Pelfrey, to compensate for the presumed drop in run support.
The Mets will send left-hander Chris Capuano to the mound later today. Capuano will be gunning for his ninth win to give the Mets a four game series sweep. The Mets still remain 7.5 games behind the Braves, after they beat Pittsburg 2-1 last night.
Mets Notes:
Milestones: With Mike Pelfrey’s complete game victory, he now sits at 49 wins in his career. Jose Reyes’ eighth inning double pushes him passed Mets great Howard Johnson for third place on the Mets all-time doubles list with 215.
Johan Santana will start his first rehab assignment tonight when he pitches for the Mets Single-A affiliate in St. Lucie.
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