PHOENIX — Mets Sparkle in 10th Inning
The Mets turned on the excitement during the 10th inning on Friday night after being limited to just two hits in the first nine frames. They rallied for a 3-1 win against the Diamondbacks at Chase Field, waking from what seemed like a desert nap.
Mark Vientos and Carson Benge both contributed pivotal doubles in the 10th, while Tobias Myers secured the final three outs. The Mets took full advantage of Nolan McLean’s strong outing and the bullpen’s support, marking their fifth road victory in seven games.
Vientos kicked things off in the 10th with a double against Kevin Ginkel, allowing the automatic runner to score. Benge, shifting to the No. 5 spot in the batting order for the first time in his major league debut, provided extra support with a double of his own.
McLean bounced back impressively after experiencing his shortest start of the season. He pitched for six innings, giving up only three hits and one earned run, and fanning six batters. This was quite a turnaround from his last game against the Angels, where he lasted just four innings.
His performance doesn’t go unnoticed, as he started the day tied for fourth in strikeouts among National League pitchers. He also ranked seventh in WHIP (0.94) and ninth in opponent batting average (.184).
Vientos opened the scoring with a home run in the second inning, giving the Mets a brief 1-0 lead. He sent Ryne Nelson’s cutter over the left field fence, marking his fifth home run of the season. Interestingly, he had two hits against the Angels earlier in the week but had struggled against Colorado.
However, Nolan Arenado quickly answered back, tying up the game 1-1 with a hit off McLean in the bottom of the second, marking the first run McLean had allowed in his last three games.
Francisco Alvarez managed a lead-off single in the third, but Bo Bichette’s shot to the right field fence was caught by Corbin Carroll, leaving Alvarez stranded. In the top of the fourth, McLean hit Carroll but then executed a double play to retire Arenado.
In the fifth inning, McLean walked Gabriel Moreno but recovered well, striking out Jose Fernandez and Jorge Barosa to fend off further damage. The Diamondbacks were missing Ketel Marte due to an illness, and Fernandez stepped in to play second base.
McLean allowed a single to Ildemaro Vargas in the sixth, marking the D-backs’ third hit against him. He ended his night striking out Del Castillo, following his 95th pitch.
In the seventh inning, Luke Weaver issued a walk to Moreno. Then, a late single from Fernandez made things tense (Luis Torrence had to be checked out after getting hit by a foul ball). Weaver loaded the bases with another walk but managed to retire Perdomo to escape the bind.
Brooks Lally came in during the eighth but allowed a single to Ryan Waldschmidt during his first major league at-bat, while Arenado collected his third out to end the inning.
