Red-hot Mets show off potential of deep, elite rotation in sweep over the Reds

NEW YORK – The plan of loading up the staff with four all-star starters is no longer just a dream in Flushing. It's a devastating reality for the rest of baseball.

The Mets showed that again on Wednesday by sweeping the Cincinnati Reds even without the help of their co-aces.

Taijuan Walker bounced back from his worst start of the season by allowing two runs over six innings in the Mets' 10-2 victory.

Everyone in the Mets starting lineup reached base at least once, including Pete Alonso (3-for-5) and Daniel Vogelbach (2-for-5) in the middle. For the meantime, they extended their lead in the National League East to 7.5 games, pending the Braves' game on Wednesday night in Boston.

That gives the Mets a chance to savor a rare off day before welcoming the rival Phillies into Queens.

The Mets (73-39) have now won six straight games and 15 of their last 17. Their starter has been the winning pitcher of record in each of the last six.

"We don't really look at that but we're looking at how deep are you going into games," Walker said. "If we can go out there go six, seven, eight innings every single time out our bullpen is going to be fresh down the stretch and into the playoffs. That's what really wins you games."

Deadline boost

Keeping the entire team fresh is one reason that general manager Billy Eppler was busy at the Trade Deadline, adding Tyler Naquin, Daniel Vogelbach and Darin Ruf.

"It made the other players better and sound physically," said manager Buck Showalter, whose team is in a stretch of 27 games in 26 days.

Naquin punished his former team in the series-finale by blasting a 439-foot solo shot out to the Shea Bridge. He's been an instant success in Queens with seven RBI in 10 games to go with a 1.254 OPS.

Vogelbach, meanwhile, has reached base in all 13 starts as a Met after ripping an RBI single and a two-run double.

"That's why you go all out," shortstop Francisco Lindor said. "I'm happy that they are here. The front office did an amazing job in bringing the right group of guys that are going to fit in and help us win."

Start it up

Still, the driving force for the Mets has been a starting rotation that's put up the best ERA in baseball since Max Scherzer's return a little over a month ago.

Walker held up his end on the bargain by striking out five batters over 91 pitches. It's a complete reversal for the Mets right-hander after not getting out of the second inning against the Braves last Friday. Part of the gameplan for Walker was being aggressive with the fastball and having more conviction in the pitch.

Walker was able to settle into the game with Alonso (RBI single) and Jeff McNeil (sacrifice fly) plating a pair of runs in the bottom of the first inning.

"You score the first three or four innings and I got a little cushion there," Walker said. "So I was able to attack with my fastball and kind of get back in the groove."

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Elite company

Lindor went 2-for-3 with two RBI to join two franchise cornerstones in the Mets record book. The first one came in the first inning when Lindor scored a run for the 13th straight game to match David Wright's streak from 2008.

Lindor added another piece of history an inning later with a two-run single to left. In the process, he collected his 81st RBI to tie Jose Reyes (2006) for the most in a season by a Mets shortstop.

The ability to score runs and drive them in has pushed Lindor into the top 10 in the National League in WAR.

"That's pretty cool," Showalter said. "It's to be continued. I know he would sacrifice everything for a chance to be the last team standing. That's the way he's wired."

Showalter praised Lindor for his detailed preparation and the amount of time spent watching video on the iPad. Lindor said he picked up his study habits early on from former teammate Andrew Miller, who was known to take notes and go over film on upcoming opponents.

The Mets skipper feels like it sets the tone for the rest of the team to have someone who's in the lineup every day who comes with the same upbeat mentality.

"He's a student," Showalter said. "I walked into the dining room looking for somebody the other day around 2:30, 3 o'clock and he had the iPad back in the corner. You know the true character of a person is what they do when nobody is looking."

"Nobody saw it, but he does that all the time."

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: NY Mets finish sweep of Reds, show off top pitching rotation