Mets hope to build momentum off Sunday's wild walk-off win over Giants: 'We needed that'
Manager Carlos Mendoza needed just three words to sum up the Mets' 4-3 walk-off win over the San Francisco Giants on Sunday:
"We needed that."
It's no secret that the Mets have been scuffling. The team entered Sunday having lost 12 of its past 15 games, including five straight. And through eight-and-a-half innings, it looked like that downward trend was going to continue, thanks in part to Cy Young hopeful Logan Webb's seven dominant innings.
But in a flash, the Mets turned things around. Trailing by two in the ninth inning, the Mets quickly loaded the bases with one out. Harrison Bader pulled a double to left to tie the game, and couple of batters later, Omar Narvaez singled to center to give the Mets and improbable, yet much-needed, win.
"We needed that, especially with how things have been going here as of late," said Mendoza. "For the guys to continue to have good at-bats, especially in the ninth inning down two runs, from [Brandon] Nimmo, J.D. [Martinez], up and down obviously, and then Bader. It’s huge.
"And credit to the fans, too, because we felt the energy today. They stayed there through the ninth inning and it was a packed house and the guys feed off that. Credit to them, because it hasn’t been pretty, but just know that we’re going to continue to compete, so shoutout to the fans."
Bader proved to be the star of the show for the Mets on Sunday. Not only did he drive in three runs with a pair of hits, but he also robbed Matt Chapman of a solo home run in the sixth inning.
"I believe in opportunity," Bader said.
"[We’ve] been down a little bit of late because we’re not getting results in the win column, but I think we’ve been playing good baseball," he added. "I think we’re doing a lot of good things that put us in positions to win. So to come out with a win, having the same approach I think is good for us moving forward. That was a fun game, that was awesome."
If Bader and Narvaez were the heroes, Adrian Houser was a pretty darn good sidekick.
Told on Saturday night that he was back out of the rotation with David Peterson returning, Houser could have hung his head. Instead, he made sure he was ready out of the bullpen on Sunday, and he ended up giving the Mets 4.0 innings of relief, allowing one run on two hits as he not only gave the Mets a chance to come back, but also earned his first win in a New York uniform.
"You’ve just got to keep putting the work in and go out and do your job," Houser said. "Today, I just wanted to go out and eat up as many innings as possible and keep the score as close as possible.
"I want to help out this team as much as I can, no matter what. I still think I’m a starter at the end of the day, but as much as I can help this team out, that’s what I want to do. Go out there and get outs, win ballgames, at the end of the day that’s what it’s all about, getting that W."
While the Mets were able to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat on Sunday, they'll have to regroup and refocus quickly, as the high-powered Los Angeles Dodgers come to Citi Field for a three-game series, starting on Monday afternoon.
"I think getting that W today was important for the guys, and now build on that," said Mendoza.
"Enjoy this one today, but right back at it tomorrow against a good team, and hopefully we can put together a winning streak here."
