Final Score: Mets 5, Nationals 3

The Mets have won 2 out of 3 against the Nationals in Washington. The season is officially not over in April. The full blown Panic City meltdown has been temporarily postponed (until next week probably).

The MVP of the game was Michael Conforto who hit a two out two-run homer in the 5th inning to give the Mets a 3-1 lead and then hit a solo shot in the 8th inning to left center field off a 99 MPH fastball from a left handed reliever. That homer gave the Mets a 4-2 lead and the extra run was the difference in the game.

Conforto vs. Bruce: I think it’s important to point out that one month into the season we have an answer to the debate that dominated the entire offseason among fans and beat writers. The majority of fans and writers spent the offseason saying that the Mets had to trade Jay Bruce to allow Michael Conforto to play everyday. If you held that view and you are gloating at the moment due to Conforto’s early season success I think it’s important to note that you were wrong. You were 100% wrong.

In the end, the people who said “play Conforto everyday” were right AND the people who said “don’t trade Jay Bruce” were right. We needed the extra outfield depth immediately thanks to injuries. Curtis Granderson has been so bad that we probably would have needed Conforto to start even without the injury to Yoenis Cespedes. The bottom line is, the people that argued to keep all of the outfielders around for depth purposes were right.

Innings Nibbler: Speaking of depth, the Mets need Steven Matz and Seth Lugo back in a big way. Zack Wheeler is the opposite of an innings eater. In this game he pitched 4.2 innings gave up 2 runs (1 ER) on 5 hits and 4 walks. The defense sucked behind him, but that’s to be expected with this Mets team. Wheeler is pitching 4-5 high stress innings every time he takes the mound. That is totally unsustainable over the course of a season. We really need a situation where Matz and Wheeler are in the rotation and Robert Gsellman and Seth Lugo are in the pen to regularly piggyback on their starts.

Reyes Heating Up: Jose Reyes hit a solo homer in the 9th inning making it 5-3 Mets and giving them an insurance run. Reyes looks like he’s heating up. I just snagged him in my fantasy league.

Contact! Glorious Contact!: T.J. Rivera really is the king of contact. He had two hits. He puts the ball in play almost every time he steps to the plate. We still won this game with the home run ball like we always do, but it’s still enjoyable to watch Rivera’s approach at the plate.

Back To A Pumpkin: Addison Reed entered the game in the 8th inning and gave up a homer to Ryan Zimmerman for the second day in a row. Perhaps Addison Reed is turning back into a slightly above average pumpkin in 2017.

Mets Say Yo Is Fine: The Mets said that team doctors examined Yo’s hamstring, and the damage wasn’t as bad as originally expected. I think Cespedes should get a second opinion.

Today: Noah Syndergaard takes the mound today and the Mets try for the sweep. Pray that Thor’s bicep doesn’t explode.