The Astros edge out the Mets for a wild win in the Series Finale

HOUSTON — When Astros manager Dusty Baker was asked to name the most important moment from a wild afternoon at Minute Maid Park, he promptly called a diving catch in left field by Corey Goulkes to end the sixth inning, a play that saved the Mets from tying the game.

There were a lot of pivotal moments and plays for the Astros 10-8 win On Wednesday, the Mets said there wouldn’t be a wrong answer had Baker picked another play, like a two-run homer by Chas McCormick and Weiner Diaz or a quickie by Martin Maldonado.

In a game in which both starters—the Astros’ Christian Javier and the Mets’ Taylor Miguel—couldn’t finish three innings and both teams combined for 16 walks, the Astros pitching regrouped to field 11 of the Mets’ final 13 strikeouts. Houston took two of three from New York to win the series—a much-needed victory for a team headed into a 10-game road trip.

“Our guys kept fighting and fighting and pulling away, and you almost seemed afraid to score, because they were going to score,” Baker said. “Guys were saying, ‘Stop it,’ but there wasn’t really one.”

Julks atone for an error playing a fly ball in the second inning that resulted in a double-two by hitting one out of two runs in the third inning and throwing a runner from left field at second base in the seventh. But it was his catch on a diving trip off Brett Batty’s line to cut the tying run at second to finish with a looming sixth.

“It was probably our biggest moment today – to keep us on top,” said third baseman Alex Bregman.

Bregman went 3-for-5 with two RBIs, while Mauricio Dubón—in his first career start at first base—was 2-for-5 with two runs scored and two doubles. In addition to being teamed by McCormick and Diaz, the Astros forced the case on the bases by pulling a stealing double in the third and putting up a tight hit in the seventh that made it 10-8.

That run came after Mets’ Pete Alonso hit a leadoff run in the sixth off Rafael Montero, who cut the Astros’ lead to 9-8, but relievers Hector Neres (seventh inning), Brian Abreu (eighth) and Ryan Pressley (ninth) Mets contract in the Gulf.

“When we went up 10-8, I thought we had a chance with Abreu and Pressly coming on,” McCormick said. “That was a tough game. The Mets are a really good team. It was back and forth all day. Those kinds of games, you’re going to grind mentally. We’re tired out there, we’ve got the day off tomorrow, we’ve got a long drive after the game, and mentally, you have to move on — and we did.” that “.

Baker credited Framber Valdez, a left-handed rookie, who threw eight innings on Tuesday, with saving his pinch and putting him in position for six relievers on Wednesday. This included Phil Mattoon, who threw 1 1/3 scoreless innings for the win. He entered the game in the fourth game—his first of the season—and helped slow the Mets down.

“In those situations where nothing seems to be going right, you try to load the area and force something to happen and run the ball,” Mattoon said. “These are really tough matches and it’s one of those situations [where] You’re trying to limit the damage.”

Javier had the shortest start of his career, throwing 82 pitches in 2 1/3 innings pitched. He gave up four runs on four hits and a career-high five walks. The Astros rescued him by scoring a four-run homer in the third on Gulicks’ leadoff single and Homer McCormick making it 6-4, and the Mets tied it for fourth on Daniel Vogelbach’s win.

“I really don’t even know what to tell you about what’s going on today,” said Javier. “I was falling behind a lot of batters and I lost a lot of pitches.”

However, the Astros have found a way to persevere in contributions from the top and bottom of the scorecard.

“It was nice to win yesterday, and even today it’s better to go outside today and finish strong at home,” said McCormick. “It was great to win two in a row and get some momentum.”