Final
Wheeler strong as Mets sweep Giants
Jul 11, 2013 - 1:34 AM San Francisco, CA (Sports Network) - Zack Wheeler hasn't had much success since his first career start, but found a whole lot of it on Wednesday against the team that drafted him.Wheeler turned in one of his best performances as a major leaguer and the New York Mets finished off a three-game sweep of the struggling defending World Series Champion San Francisco Giants with a 7-1 victory at AT&T Park.
John Buck, Marlon Byrd and Daniel Murphy each knocked in a pair to highlight a second offensive surge for New York in as many days, and sent Giants ace Matt Cain (5-6) to the showers before the first inning was over.
Wheeler (3-1) was the Giants' sixth pick overall in the 2009 draft and blanked his former club for six frames. When it was all said and done, the young rookie scattered one run on three hits to complete a seven-inning stint.
"It felt good, I was really looking forward to it," said Wheeler about facing the Giants. "I told the guys earlier I really wanted to do well."
The Giants traded Wheeler to acquire outfielder Carlos Beltran in 2011, who they would lose to the St. Louis Cardinals via free agency in the following offseason.
San Francisco has plummeted to 40-50 on the campaign, losers of four straight and a remarkable 14 of their last 16 games.
"That will to win, believe me -- its there," said Giants manager Bruce Bochy. "Sometimes this happens when you get in a rut like this, you kind of stand back and wait for somebody else to do something. We've got to take the bull by the horns and get this thing going."
Byrd hit a grand slam in Tuesday's 10-6 victory and provided a two-run homer on Wednesday. Buck and Murphy each added two hits apiece, while Wheeler contributed an RBI double in New York's fifth win in six games.
An erratic Cain walked three, gave up three runs and only got two outs before he was lifted in the first inning. It was the shortest outing of his career.
Eric Young Jr. drew the first walk, swiped second and went to third on a throwing error from Buster Posey before scoring easily on Murphy's single.
Cain's command was noticeably off and soon loaded the bases after walking Ike Davis and Kirk Nieuwenhuis. Bochy then lifted him after Buck dumped a slider into shallow center for a two-run single and a 3-0 Mets' lead.
Byrd provided New York with a five-run cushion in the fifth by sending a shot just over the center field wall.
Wheeler had given up 10 earned runs over his last three outings, but was cruising through the first five innings on Wednesday, limiting the Giants' offense to just a Pablo Sandoval single and a pair of walks.
He also helped offensively, contributing one of three doubles in the sixth for New York. He sent a shot over the head of Gregor Blanco in center to plate a run and Murphy followed two batters later with a two-bagger for a 7-0 lead.
The Giants got a run off Wheeler in the seventh on a Brandon Crawford single and scored another on a Tony Abreu sac fly in the ninth, but were up against too great of a margin. San Francisco had just six hits on the afternoon.
Game Notes
New York's David Wright went 1-for-4 to extend his hitting streak to 11 games ... The Mets have won 15 of their last 23 contests ... It was New York's first three-game sweep of the season and first in San Francisco since 1994 ... The Giants were just 5-for-27 with runners in scoring position for the series.
- NEW YORK: 7
SAN FRANCISCO: 2
Final
Jul 10 6:42 PM - Tony Abreu sacrifice fly out to left scored Brandon Belt. None on with two outs and Brandon Crawford due up.
Mets 7, Giants 2 Bot 9, 2 OutsJul 10 6:38 PM - Brandon Crawford singled to center scoring Brandon Belt. Runner on first with two outs and George Kontos due up.
Mets 7, Giants 1 Bot 7, 2 OutsJul 10 6:03 PM - Daniel Murphy doubled to left scoring Zack Wheeler. Runner on second with two outs and David Wright due up.
Mets 7, Giants 0 Top 6, 2 OutsJul 10 5:33 PM - Zack Wheeler doubled to center scoring John Buck. Runner on second with one out and Eric Young due up.
Mets 6, Giants 0 Top 6, 1 OutJul 10 5:30 PM - Marlon Byrd two-out, two-run Home Run (15) to center scored Ike Davis. Kirk Nieuwenhuis due up.
Mets 5, Giants 0 Top 5, 2 OutsJul 10 5:10 PM - John Buck singled to center scoring Daniel Murphy and Ike Davis. On the play, Kirk Nieuwenhuis advances to third. Runners on first and third with two outs and Omar Quintanilla due up.
Mets 3, Giants 0 Top 1, 2 OutsJul 10 4:07 PM - Daniel Murphy singled to center scoring Eric Young. Runner on first with none out and David Wright due up.
Mets 1, Giants 0 Top 1, 0 OutsJul 10 3:52 PM - NEW YORK: 0
SAN FRANCISCO: 0
Top 1, 0 Outs
Jul 10 3:46 PM
Related News
- Mets Ace Kodai Senga Sidelined with Shoulder Strain Feb 22
- Mets Morning News for December 26, 2023 Dec 26
- From Complex To Queens, Episode 256: Merry Metsmas 2023 Dec 25
- Mets Morning News for December 25, 2023 Dec 25
- Monday BP: Merry Christmas Dec 25
- Mets sign RHP Chad Smith to minor league deal Dec 24
- Today Your Love, Tomorrow the World Series: Blue, not Blue and Orange, Christmas Dec 24
- Mets Morning News for December 24, 2023 Dec 24
- The ‘help, everything is awful the Dodgers have ruined everything we love but hey I guess it’s the holidays maybe that will make us feel better probably not though’ mailbag Dec 23
- Mets Morning News for December 23, 2023 Dec 23
- 2024 Willie McCovey Memorial Community Prospect List No. 4 Dec 22
- Mets Morning News for December 22, 2023 Dec 22