OAKLAND, Calif. — Eduardo Escobar resembled a free-agent misfire for the Mets for most of this season, but he may have earned his keep in September alone.
The veteran third baseman continued his torrid play Friday night, hitting a grand slam that helped deliver the Mets a seventh victory in eight games, 9-2 over the Athletics at RingCentral Coliseum.
The win left the Mets with the most breathing room they have enjoyed since Sept. 2, a 2 ½-game lead in the NL East, following Atlanta’s third straight loss.
After a sluggish stretch against teams with losing records, the Mets have begun beating up on such opponents. The victory Friday was their fifth straight over a sub .500 team since the Mets were swept in three games by the hapless Cubs at Citi Field on Sept. 12-14.
Chris Bassitt returned to his old stomping grounds — he pitched for Oakland from 2015-21 — and allowed two earned runs over eight innings. Before the game, the Mets played a tribute video for Bassitt, Mark Canha and Starling Marte, all of whom played for the A’s.
Escobar’s grand slam was the Mets’ second in three games. Francisco Lindor launched one Tuesday that gave the Mets their go-ahead runs in a victory at Milwaukee. The homer was Escobar’s seventh this month. He entered play with a 1.062 OPS in September, which followed a stint on the injured list with an oblique strain. Escobar arrived before the season on a two-year contract worth $20 million.
Eduardo Escobar crushes a grand slam in the fifth inning. Getty Images
Eduardo Escobar celebrates after his grand slam. Getty ImagesBrandon Nimmo returned to the lineup after departing the game Wednesday game in Milwaukee with left quad tightness. He delivered a two-run single in the second inning against Cole Irvin that gave the Mets a 3-0 lead.
Mark Vientos’ RBI single earlier in the inning accounted for the Mets’ first run. The Mets had loaded the bases on singles by Pete Alonso, Darin Ruf and Jeff McNeil.
The Mets turned the game into a runaway on Escobar’s grand slam in the fifth, an inning in which they sent nine batters to the plate and scored five runs.
Chris Bassitt pitches on Friday during the Mets’s win over the A’s. Getty ImagesNimmo singled before Canha’s shot to center caused Seth Brown to collide hard with the fence. Canha ended up with a double and Nimmo stopped at third. Alonso was intentionally walked to load the bases with one out and Ruf flied out before Escobar cleared the left-field fence for the Mets’ sixth grand slam this season.
The Mets weren’t finished in the inning. McNeil singled and Vientos’ ensuing RBI double gave the Mets an 8-0 lead.
McNeil finished the night 3-for-5 to lead the Mets’ 13-hit attack.
The Mets celebrate during their win over the A’s. AP Bassitt took a two-hitter into the seventh before allowing a run on Brown’s RBI single. In the eighth, Dermis Garcia tagged him for a solo homer. Over eight innings, Bassitt allowed two earned runs on six hits with one walk and two strikeouts.
It was a second straight superb start by Bassitt, who fired six shutout innings to beat the Pirates last Saturday. The right-hander is aligned to pitch next weekend during the series in Atlanta, along with Jacob deGrom and Max Scherzer in some order.
