With Kodai Senga struggling, Carlos Mendoza went to his bullpen early and they shut down the Giants down the stretch in a 12-6 victory on Saturday.
NEW YORK — On a day where Kodai Senga did not have his dominant stuff, Carlos Mendoza had a chance to take a different approach to trying to protect a one-run lead.
The Mets skipper quickly turned to his beefed up bullpen in the fifth inning, with Senga having allowed four earned runs in as many innings.
The Mets newly-constructed reliever unit got the job done, holding the Giants scoreless between the fifth and eighth innings as they secured a 12-6 victory in front of 43,455 fans on Saturday afternoon at Citi Field.
The victory helped the Mets snap a four-game losing streak and improve to 63-48.
One night after the Phillies moved out in front in the National League East, the Mets broke out in a major way to leapfrog back in front by a half game.
They teed off on a shorthanded Giants bullpen that had sent them Tyler Rogers and the Yankees Camilo Doval, while the Mets used one of their newfound strengths to buy their offense time to fire up.
Mets' new-look bullpen shuts the door
When Mendoza was asked about his new stable of relievers before Friday's series opener, he touted the "big-time potential" of the unit.
With the depth of his bullpen, pitchers who were once used in high-leverage spots have been shifted up in the game. And that has given Mendoza the liberty to deploy them more freely.
After Senga gave up four earned runs on five hits and three walks, Mendoza turned to Reed Garrett, who recorded four straight outs in between the fifth and sixth innings. Then, newcomer Gregory Soto was deployed against the Giants' lefty-heavy bottom of the lineup. He allowed a single to Jung Hoo Lee but picked up back-to-back strikeouts to end the frame.
Those shut-down efforts allowed the Mets to extend their lead to 7-4 in the bottom of the sixth inning.
Then, it was time for Tyler Rogers' Mets debut against the top of the lineup of his former team. The submarining right-hander allowed a single to Heliot Ramos and then picked up three straight outs.
With the Mets piling on four runs in the seventh, Ryan Helsley could sit down comfortably. He and Edwin Diaz could take the day to rest before the series finale. Rico Garcia surrendered a two-run home run in the ninth but the Mets had already built up an insurmountable advantage.
Brandon Nimmo, Francisco Lindor help click Mets offense into gear
One night after the Mets' offense began to find its form late in a 4-3 extra-inning loss, they had one of their most complete efforts in more than a week.
The Mets' 12 runs were the first time they have scored double-digit runs since they took down the Yankees, 12-6, back on July 5.
It came from a variety of sources on Saturday.
It began in the top of the first inning when Pete Alonso ripped a high fastball from Giants rookie Kai-Wei Teng into the left-center field seats for a three-run home run.
After the Giants took a 4-3 lead against Senga in the top of the fourth inning, the bottom of the lineup helped the Mets mount an immediate response. Cedric Mullins singled and Brett Baty drew a one-out walk before Brandon Nimmo knocked a game-tying RBI single up the middle.
Francisco Lindor laid down a bunt to the right side that caught the Giants defense off-guard as Brett Baty scored without Dominic Smith making a throw.
Nimmo and Lindor each tacked on RBI singles in the bottom of the sixth inning to build the Mets' advantage to 7-4. Both of the Mets' top two hitters finished with three hits. Lindor had a double and four BRI, while Nimmo drove in three runs.
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: NY Mets: Deep bullpen buys time, offense breaks out in win over Giants
Category: Baseball
