This 10-game series against teams with playoff hopes may not define the Mets’ season, but it could break it.
The only thing that broke Wednesday may have been Jesse Winker’s spiked helmet.
After three games, the Mets’ playoff hopes are still there and have only grown stronger after Winker’s first hit with his new team was a massive home run.
For the second time in three games, the Mets took the series against the AL East powerhouse, this time on a walk-off home run by Winker off Serantony Dominguez.
Manager Carlos Mendoza’s team won a big 4-3 victory over the Orioles, highlighted by Winker’s home run to left-center field, then hurled his helmet to the ground as he slowly rounded the bases.
A crowd of 32,871 gathered at Citi Field to watch the Mets take a strong first step in a tough, 10-game, three-series series against teams likely to play in October.
With the home stretch wrapped up, the Mets (66-61) begin a four-game series at San Diego on Thursday before playing a three-game series at Arizona.
The Mets are two games behind the Braves in the race for the final National League wild card spot.
In a back-and-forth game, the Mets took the lead with a home run by Francisco Lindor, but Austin Slater’s two-run homer ruined Sean Manaea’s no-hitter, and both teams traded punches in the closing stages.
Mark Vientos’ home run off Craig Kimbrel in the seventh inning put the Mets ahead, but their advantage would not last long.
In the eighth inning, Manaea allowed an infield hit to the leadoff batter and left the game after throwing 90 pitches.
Jose Butt, who was pressured at times by home plate umpire Marvin Hudson, took the mound and walked two batters to load the bases with no outs.
What could have been disastrous became manageable.
Butts struck out Ryan O’Hearn before Adley Rutschman’s sacrifice fly brought in the tying run.
With runners on second and two out, Butt won a lengthy battle against Gunnar Henderson.
With Edwin Diaz pitching a scoreless inning in the top of the ninth, the Mets’ offense had an opportunity in the bottom of the inning.
Manaea and the Mets were in control, taking the lead in the third with a home run by Lindor, then winning the fifth on a grounder by J.D. Martinez that, fortunately for the Mets, didn’t result in a double play. That was until the sixth inning.
Manaea threw 73 pitches for a perfect game.
His subsequent attempt at a no-hitter and shutout ended with just one two-seam fastball.
With two outs in the sixth inning, a 2-2 fastball flew over Jackson Holiday’s head to strike out the ninth batter and end his 5 2/3 scoreless innings streak.
On the next pitch, Slater pounced on a sinker and hit it the other way, over the right field wall to tie the game at 2-2.
Manaea lasted seven innings for the fourth time in five tries, but had to content himself with merely excellent performance.
He allowed three runs on three hits with no walks and struck out nine.
