Mets split day-night doubleheader with Brewers thanks to Brandon Nimmo's grand slam in second game
Brandon Nimmo of the Mets celebrates his second-inning grand slam against the Milwaukee Brewers in the second game of a doubleheader at Citi Field on Wednesday. Credit: Jim McIsaac
Devastating lows. Scintillating highs. Grand slams in the middle of each.
The Mets’ day-night doubleheader split with the Brewers came with a hairpin turn in the middle and they and the throng of 41,123 for the nightcap at steamy Citi Field had to walk away hoping the worst of the club’s three-week morass might be in the rearview mirror.
The opener was rough going as scuffling high-leverage reliever Reed Garrett gave up Joey Ortiz’ grand slam as part of blowing a one-run lead and the Mets’ lineup got just two hits — none in the final five innings — during a 7-2 loss. That gave the Mets four consecutive losses and 14 in 17 games dating back to June 13.
The nightcap was filled with thrills and redemption as the Mets roughed up Milwaukee rookie phenom Jacob Misiorowski in an 7-3 victory that featured Brandon Nimmo hitting a grand slam out of the leadoff spot, Francisco Lindor following it with a solo shot to cap a five-run second and the late-inning relievers holding the line. It ended the losing streak, but whether it’s a bellwether of something better ahead remains to be seen.
“It says lot,” Lindor said of the Mets’ Game 2 response. “We are a good team. There’s good hitters here. Everybody’s playing for each other. Everybody’s striving to be better. It’s just a tough stretch. You just got to go out there and take it . . . For everybody here to go out in the second game and have a sense of urgency of winning, it’s good.”
Misiorowski, who opened his career with 11 no-hit innings and brought a 3-0 record with a 1.13 ERA into the contest, threw fastballs that crackled up to 102 mph and sliders that touched 97 and the Mets still got five runs off him.
“We made him work,” manager Carlos Mendoza said. “You see 100 and 96 on the slider and say ‘wow, that’s pretty special’. But we got him into a lot of three-ball counts and forced him into the strike zone. And when we do that, we’re a pretty good offensive team.”
They loaded the bases on walks by Brett Baty and Ronny Mauricio and an infield single by Hayden Senger. Nimmo, moved up to the leadoff spot, hit a first-pitch slider 361 feet into the rightfield stands for his 16th home run, and second slam, of the season.
“The last thing he wants to do is walk you there, but you’re trying to take it simple with a short swing,” Nimmo said. “Definitely not trying to hit a home run there — he’s already supplying a lot of the power with that velo . . . When I hit it, it was on the barrel. I was 98% sure, but I always keep a little 2% in the back pocket for this ballpark. When I hit it, I got it.”
“Finally, as a team, we get the big one,” Mendoza said.
Lindor was next and he unloaded on a 1-and-2 fastball that went for a 379-foot home run into the Mets’ bullpen, the 12th home run for the newly elected starting shortstop for the NL All-Star team.
Blade Tidwell, who got his first career win, had kept the Brewers off the scoreboard after entering the game behind opener Huascar Brazoban. That was until they pushed three runs across in the sixth. Christian Yelich and Jackson Chourio opened the frame with back-to-back home runs and Ortiz added a run-scoring groundout.
Lindor’s run-scoring single in the bottom of the inning made the score 6-3. He’d add a run-scoring double in the eighth.
The Mets relievers didn’t let it get away. Richard Lovelady, Ryne Stanek and Edwin Diaz combined for three scoreless innings to close it out, Diaz collecting four outs and his 17th save.
In the afternoon, Garrett’s poor performance laid to waste a Mets comeback and 5 1⁄3 solid innings from starter Clay Holmes.
Holmes had a 2-1 lead in the sixth — courtesy of RBIs from Baty and Pete Alonso — and left a man on base with one out when Garrett came on. Garrett’s first pitch went to Brice Turang, who smacked a run-scoring double to tie the score at 2. He loaded the bases with a single and a walk and then Ortiz unloaded on a 3-and-1 cutter for a grand slam and a 6-2 lead. Garrett was serenaded with boos as he made his way to the dugout.
“It just sucked,” said Garrett, who’s allowed nine runs in six outings during the three-week slide. “No other way to put it: [I] Just sucked today.”
Roger Rubin returned to Newsday in 2018 to write about high schools, colleges and baseball following 20 years at the Daily News. A Baseball Hall of Fame voter since 2011, he has covered 13 MLB postseasons and 14 NCAA Final Fours.
