Vientos, Stock Lead Mets To Surprising 3-2 Win Over Rays

Not much was expected from the New York Mets when they traveled to Florida to take on one of the best teams in baseball, but the Mets produced a gritty 3-2 win over the Tampa Bay Rays that featured the unlikely names of Robert Stock, Mark Vientos and Kodai Senga. 

Stock has been alternating between good and bad starts, and he was due for a good one after the Brewers bashed him for seven runs last week. He stayed very much in form, shutting down a dynamic Rays lineup that just swept the San Diego Padres with 5-1/3 innings of scoreless one-run ball. 

The offense was supplied by Mark Vientos, although he didn’t exactly distinguish himself by getting the first run home with a double-play ball. He made up for it in the seventh, though, with a solo homer, and Francisco Alvarez added to the lead with an RBI single to give the Mets a 3-0 lead. 

After that it was nail-biting time as the Mets bullpen took over. Nate Lavender and Dedniel Nunez did their part by keeping the Rays off the board in the sixth and seventh, but Daniel Duarte faltered in the eighth as Tampa Bay came back with a pair of runs. 

Liam Hicks and Chandler Simpson submitted RBI singles to close the gap to 3-2, and the nail-biting factor increased as the Mets turned to erstwhile closer Kodai Senga to nail down the win. 

Senga delivered his usual nervous moment by walking Jonny DeLuca — he of the 319-foot homer into the buffet table on Sunday against the Padres — but after that the reliever settled down and got three straight outs to pick up his fifth save of the season. 

The unlikely win gave the Mets a chance to break their streak of three straight series losses against Tampa Bay, but the Rays are a resilient group that will definitely come back to offer a challenge. 

Tonight’s pitching matchup should be especially tasty, as the Mets will send Sean Manaea to the mound against old friend Freddy Peralta, who just pitched six shutout innings in his last effort against the Detroit Tigers. 

Peralta has been up and down since the Mets traded him to Tampa Bay, as he gave up five runs to the Baltimore Orioles in his start before that. Plenty of storylines will be on the table in this one as the Mets try to regenerate some momentum after their recent rough stretch.