Jeff McNeil’s big home run propels Mets to first win in a week
NEW YORK — Jeff McNeil made sure his first home run in seven weeks was a game changer.
The Mets second baseman-turned-left fielder scorched a 417-foot no-doubter into the bullpen in the seventh inning. It was his first home run since Aug. 1 – a span of 43 games and 148 at-bats – and it gave his team their first lead since last Tuesday.
Following dominant performances from the bullpen’s 1-2 punch of Aaron Loup and Edwin Diaz, McNeil’s seventh home run of the year allowed the Mets to roll ahead for a 3-2 win over the Phillies on Sunday night at Citi Field.
The Mets (73-77) avoided a series sweep against the Phillies with the win, which also snapped their five-game losing streak dating back to last Monday.
Loup lowered his ERA to 1.00 after pitching 1.1 scoreless innings in his 62nd outing of the year on Sunday.
The left-hander jogged in from the ‘pen in the seventh inning in a big spot: tied game, runners on first and second and Bryce Harper at the plate. Harper’s major-league leading 1.056 OPS even daunted Loup, the Mets’ best reliever. He pitched around Harper, eventually sending him to first on a six-pitch walk. But Loup retired the next batter, J.T. Realmuto, on a ground ball to escape the jam he inherited from Seth Lugo.
Loup’s strong seventh inning kept the game tied at 2-2, and after McNeil gave the Mets the only lead they would need in the eighth, the southpaw came back out for more. Before Sunday night, Loup had not pitched more than an inning since July 18 at Pittsburgh.
That manager Luis Rojas asked Loup to go back out for the eighth was an indication of his club’s dire situation in the waning weeks of the regular season. Besides a single to Ronald Torreyes, Loup again shut down the Phillies lineup in the eighth and passed the baton to the Mets closer.
In the ninth inning with the Mets hanging on to a one-run lead, Diaz had the tall task of facing the top of the Phillies order. He recorded his first two outs with some ease, including a huge strikeout to Jean Segura on a 99.2 mph fastball. A hit by pitch to Freddy Galvis put the tying run on first for – yet again – Harper.
But Diaz got Harper to fly out to left field for the final out of the game — and give the embattled closer his 30th save of the season.
