There was mist. There was rain. And then there was thunder and lightning — the last two courtesy of Steven Matz and Lucas Duda.
It was Weather Education Day at Citi Field Wednesday afternoon — a day when schoolchildren got to learn about the weather theoretically (from weather anchors Mr. G and Linda Church) and practically, from the steady mix of precipitation that put a damper on everything. Everything except the Mets, that is.
Matz allowed two hits in 7 2⁄3 innings and the Mets hit four home runs, two courtesy of Duda, as they turned aside the last-place Braves, 8-0.
Matz (4-1, 2.83) was untouchable, winning his fourth straight decision in an operatic performance where the Braves were reduced to mere spectators. He allowed two hits — both soft singles to left — and hit a batter, striking out eight with no walks. Since his first start of the season — one in which he allowed seven earned runs in 1 2⁄3 innings — Matz has pitched to a 0.67 ERA. He gave up a single to pitcher Jhoulys Chacin in the third and didn’t allow another batter to reach until plunking Freddie Freeman with one out in the seventh.
Erick Aybar’s two-out single in the eighth got him pulled in favor of Jim Henderson. Matz threw 106 pitches, 78 for strikes.
It was more than enough for Duda and the Mets, who did nothing for Matt Harvey Tuesday night, but made it rain for Matz Wednesday. (Pun intended.)
Wilmer Flores drew a two-out walk in the second and Rene Rivera lined a 1-and-0 cutter inside the leftfield foul pole for his first home run of the season to give the Mets a 2-0 advantage. It was the journeyman catcher’s first hit as a Met and snapped a 17-inning scoreless streak for the team. The Mets added two more two-run homers in the third inning, one by Asdrubal Cabrera after Curtis Granderson’s leadoff walk, and another by Duda on Chacin’s 85-mph cutter to give the Mets a 6-0 lead.
Duda added a second homer, with two outs in the fifth, making it the 14th multi-home run game of his career. Neil Walker walked and Flores added an RBI double to the gap in left-center to provide the final margin.
..... - Newsday