The Mets and Nationals are having one of the weirder series of the year. New York scored 10 runs in the 12th inning on Monday. Washington erased a 5-0 deficit on Tuesday by hanging nine runs (six earned) on Nolan McLean, including an inside-the-park grand slam by James Wood. And the four-game set is only half over.
1. Marte wins it for D-Backs
The Diamondbacks scored in the first inning on Tuesday against the Giants. They were then shut out for seven innings. The bats came alive in the bottom of the ninth inning, with Arizona scoring four times, capped off by a Ketel Marte walk-off home run. It was the first walk-off homer in the veteran’s 12-year career. Marte hasn’t boosted his OPS above .700 since mid-April, but his underlying metrics are strong. The second baseman ranks in the 88th percentile for xBA and in the 73rd percentile for xSLG. “Usually at this stage in the season, I have really good numbers,” Marte said (h/t Alex Weiner of Arizona Sports). “But (manager Torey Lovullo) always tells me you’re making good contact, don’t be so hard on yourself.”
2. Thornton to make debut
Mets pitching prospect Zach Thornton is expected to debut against the Nationals on Wednesday. The lefty is a borderline top 10 prospect in New York’s system. He’s put together a solid minor league season, posting a 3.16 in seven starts between Double-A and Triple-A. Thornton will step into the rotation spot vacated by Clay Holmes. The veteran righty may avoid surgery for his fractured fibula, but he’s still facing an extended absence. Thornton will have some runway here to stick with the big-league club if he performs well.
3. Dodgers beat Miller on career-first play
Flame-throwing closer Mason Miller came on in a tie game against the Dodgers on Tuesday night. He walked Max Muncy, who was pinch-run for by Alex Call. An over-eager Call made a move to second base before Miller went to the plate, and should’ve been picked off. Instead, Miller threw the ball away, allowing Call to advance to third. Andy Pages came through with a sac fly to give Los Angeles the lead. Will Klein closed it out to put the Dodgers back on top in the NL West. The errant pickoff throw was the first error of Miller’s career (h/t AJ Cassavell of MLB.com). It resulted in his first loss as a Padre.
Photo courtesy of Joe Camporeale, Imagn Images
