From the resident DJ to the flashing lights to the massive crowd that was standing for much of the night, Citi Field felt like one big party Friday night.
Jose Iglesias’ hit “OMG” played as the Mets hit five home runs, as the home team relentlessly attacked the pitching staff with the worst ERA in baseball. Chants of “Go Grimace!” rang out and left-hander Sean Manaea was cheered as he walked off the mound after another strong performance.
Everything is going well so far in Queens — except for the bullpen, which nearly blew a five-run lead.
The outcome never seemed in doubt from the moment the Mets took the lead with three home runs off eight pitches in the second inning. In fact, in each of their four wins during this dominant homestand, the Mets have outscored the Nationals and Rockies by 27-13 since Tuesday.
The Mets defeated the woeful Rockies 7-6 in front of 28,852 at Citi Field for their fourth straight win and sixth in seven. Harrison Bader and Iglesias hit two home runs apiece, Mark Vientos had a home run and a double and Manaea pitched seven innings to earn the win as the Mets recorded their 24th win in 34 games. They can tie their season-high of four games above .500, set on April 20, on Saturday.
Jake Diekman and rookie Phil Mutton allowed three runs and two home runs in the eighth inning, but Edwin Diaz pitched a shutout ninth inning to earn his 10th save. Of the 13 runs the Mets have allowed on this homestand, eight have come from their struggling relief corps in just 10 2/3 innings.
The most impressive thing about the offense recently is that the Big Four of Francisco Lindor, Brandon Nimmo, J.D. Martinez and Pete Alonso were quiet, with just two singles between them. But this lineup can now hurt opponents from all angles. Iglesias, 34, a fan favorite and key player on the team, hit two home runs in the same game for the first time in his 12-year major league career. It was Bader’s second time.
After a 4-4 road trip that featured ups and downs on offense, the Mets have bounced back. In their four home games, they’re averaging 7.2 points and recording 18 extra-base hits.
The Mets erased a two-run deficit in the top of the second in eight pitches. Vientos thrilled the crowd with a 408-foot hit into the left-center field seats for his 12th home run of the season. Iglesias followed two pitches later, and after Jeff McNeil was out on a 104.8 mph liner, Bader homered for his first since June 26.
In the next inning, Francisco Alvarez and Vientos doubled with two outs to extend the lead to 4-2. Vientos’ run-scoring double down the left field line was his fourth extra-base hit in his last three games, after only one in his previous seven games. In the fourth inning, Bader smashed a 106.7 mph slider to make it 6-2. It was his eighth home run of the season, bringing his total to seven in 2023.
Manaea took the mound calmly after giving up a two-run homer to Michael Toglia in the second inning. The left-hander retired 11 of 13 batters he faced after that and improved to 3-0 with a 2.01 ERA in his last six starts. During that span, the veteran has struck out 34 batters in 35 2/3 innings. The Mets have won five of six games.
