Mets Blank Diamondbacks For Second Consecutive Victory

By Kenneth Teape (@teapester725)

Tuesday, April 15^th, 2014

New York Mets vs. Arizona Diamondbacks

Post Game Recap

The New York Mets were able to continue their strong play out west, blanking the Arizona Diamondbacks Tuesday night 9-0. That makes it two in a row in the desert for the Mets, as the victory also puts the Mets record at .500; they failed to do so the first five times they had a chance to pull even in the win-loss column.

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Tonight the Mets wasted no time, jumping out to a 3-0 lead in the first inning. The Mets were able to get productive outs, as the first two runs of the inning came on a fielder’s choice and sac fly. The only run to come off a hit in the inning was a single from Kirk Nieuwenhuis that scored Lucas Duda.

The Mets then scored another six runs in the fourth inning, knocking Diamondbacks’ starting pitcher Bronson Arroyo out of the game at that point. Arroyo was roughed up, surrendering nine earned runs in 3.1 innings on 10 hits and one walk, only striking out one. The Mets were shut down otherwise, managing only two base runners outside of the first and fourth innings.

The biggest blow tonight came off the bat of Nieuwenhuis, who knocked a two-run homer in the fourth inning to give him a three-RBI game. This was Nieuwenhuis’s debut of the season, and he made a good case to not get sent back down to the minors.

He was not alone though, as Eric Young Jr. continued to give the Mets solid contributions at the top of their order. Tonight, Young got on base three times with three hits in his five plate appearances and also made the most of his run producing opportunities. He knocked in Travis d’Arnaud and Omar Quintanilla with a single in the fourth inning.

Daniel Murphy and David Wright each delivered two hits of their own, each in five at-bats. Murphy was knocked in twice. Andrew Brown only went 1-4 from the plate, but made the most of his at-bats as he knocked in an RBI in two of his three outs.

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On the mound tonight was Jenrry Mejia, and he mowed through the Diamondback lineup. In five innings of work, Mejia gave up only two hits, while walking two, and striking out three. He was forced from the game after the fifth inning with a blister on his middle finger.

The Mets bullpen made sure to hold down the victory for Mejia, and the shutout, as Gonzalez Germen and Kyle Farnsworth continued to shutdown the Diamondbacks, combining for four shutout innings. The tandem allowed only one hit while striking out three.

The only players to break through for the D-Backs tonight were Paul Goldschmidt, Chris Owings and A.J. Pollock. Owings was also issued one of the two walks, as Gerardo Parra received the other. On the evening, the Diamondbacks had only three players get into scoring position.

Tomorrow the Mets will look for the sweep in Arizona, as Dillon Gee will take the mound looking for his first win of the season. He will be opposed by Brandon McCarthy, who will also be looking for his first win this season.