In Tuesday night's win over the Brewers, some Mets pitchers needed a little bit of help from their players behind them.
Three plays come to mind, two of which are of the outfield assist variety.
In the fourth, with Nelson Figueroa on the mound and Corey Hart at the plate, Hart was able to reach out and poke a blooper into shallow center field. Carlos Beltran, who was in the lineup despite a "knee contusion" from sliding into umpire Ed Rapuano, was able to charge the ball, make a strong throw through Carlos Delgado's wickets, and nail J.J. Hardy at the plate.
One cannot doubt Beltran's fielding prowess. He's got a cannon for an arm, and the wherewithal to pick up what's going on in the field in front of him, and make the play. He may not be the greatest hitter ever, but there is no one I would want more in center field.
Another OF assist came from Endy Chavez. With one out in the eighth inning, Brian Stokes was facing off against Rickie Weeks. Weeks pulled one down the third base line, and started motoring towards and around first. Chavez, who was playing left field, came charging down into foul territory and picked up the ball on the bounce. Chavez turned and threw a bullet to second, where Jose Reyes was able to apply the tag on Weeks, who also slid into an umpire, this time it was Brian O'Nora.
As I said in my game recap, Chavez, though not an everyday player, continues to build his legend as a member of the New York Mets. From the NLCS catch, to the drag bunt to win the game against the Rockies, to this OF assist and eventual game winning sac-fly, I think Chavez's number might be retired before Keith or Piazza.
With Joe Smith on, and two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning, Hart stung a ground ball down the third base line, forcing David Wright to move to his right and make a diving stop. He was able to jump up, set, and throw to first. What I thought was a lollipop throw, arrived on time to Delgado at first, and Hart was out by a step.
Wright still seems to be struggling at the plate, but his defense is the hold steady. His errors almost always come on routine plays, ones he may or may not take for granted. But plays like this, ones that require every single aspect to go perfectly, he almost always pulls off without a hitch.
These three plays were so instrumental in the Mets earning the win last night. The defense has been nearly perfect lately, and it's really benefitting the team both on the field and in their mind.
