Mets vs. Orioles Game 44 Recap

Mets RF Michael Conforto (Credits to MetsMerizedOnline.com)

The New York Mets beat the Baltimore Orioles 7-6 tonight to snap their two game losing steak and improved their record to 20-24. In the bottom of the second inning, 1B Dom Smith led off with a double and then 2B Robinson Cano followed with a ground-out back to the pitcher. DH Pete Alonso singled then LF Jeff McNeil also singled to bring in Smith. Alonso singled with two outs in the bottom of the fourth and McNeil followed with a two-run homer, his fourth in the last four games. In the bottom of the fifth, Conforto homered with two outs and 3B J.D. Davis followed with a walk. Smith singled to move Davis to third base and Cano broke out of his 0-19 slump with a RBI single. SS Andres Giminez hit a solo homer to the opposite field in the bottom of the sixth to tie the game, the second homer of his young career. 1B Pete Alonso led off the bottom of the eighth inning and delivered with a solo homer for his 11th homer of the season and third hit of the game.

RHP Rick Porcello got into immediate trouble in the top of the first inning after he gave up a lead-off single to CF Cedric Mullins and an RBI single to DH Renato Nunez two batters later. 3B D.J. Stewart followed with a single to advance Nunez to third base and LF Ryan Mountcastle drove in Nunez with an RBI single of his own to bring in the second run. Porcello had a scoreless top of the second inning but struggled once again in the top of the third inning after he gave up singles to Stewart and Mountcastle and then 3B Rio Ruiz hit a two-run double. 2B Hanser Alberto hit an RBI single to bring in Ruiz, but Cano made a great play later in the inning to prevent more runs from being scored. Porcello had a 1-2-3 top of the fourth inning and was then taken out. His final line was 4 innings, 10 hits, 5 runs, 0 walks and 3 strikeouts. LHP Chasen Shrieve came on in the top of the fifth inning and gave up a solo homer to Stewart, but didn't allow any more runs in the inning. Shrieve came back out for the top of the sixth and retired Alberto and was then pulled. RHP Jared Hughes came on and got SS Jose Iglesias to fly out on a fantastic play by McNeil.  Hughes walked Nunez and hit Stewart and Mountcastle to load the bases and was then taken out. LHP Justin Wilson came in and was helped out by his defense after Conforto made an incredible game saving over the shoulder  snowcone catch to rob Ruiz of a bases clearing double which would have brought in 3 runs. Wilson stayed in for the top of the seventh and threw a scoreless inning. RHP Jeurys Familia came on in the top of the eighth and worked around a walk by Stewart and a single by Mountcastle to get out of the inning after he retired Ruiz on a comebacker back to the mound to keep the game tied. RHP Edwin Diaz gave up a lead-off single to Alberto in the top of the ninth, but retired the next three hitters he faced and picked up his third save.

The Mets are off tomorrow and return to action on Friday, September 11th in Buffalo against the Toronto Blue Jays at 6:37 p.m.