NEW YORK _ The Mets' defense had been committing too many mistakes and the pitchers had been serving up way too many runs over the first month of the season. The team showed up for work Sunday at Citi Field clinging to the National League's bottom rung in errors and ERA.
So they really needed to play a clean game and get a well-pitched start against the Brewers after the duds thrown in the first two games of the series by Jacob deGrom and Noah Syndergaard.
They got what they needed. Steven Matz turned in a quality start. There were no errors. And when Milwaukee's defense broke down in the seventh, the Mets capitalized for the tiebreaking run and went on to claim a 5-2 win, thereby avoiding a three-game sweep and snapping a three-game skid.
"I don't think it's a surprise to anybody to hear me say that we haven't pitched as well as we're capable of," general manager Brodie Van Wagenen said in the dugout before the game when he was discussing the decision to call up catcher Tomas Nido from Syracuse as a backup to Wilson Ramos and designate Travis d'Arnaud for assignment.
"We're a month into the season. We've got a .500 record. We're two games out of first place and we know we're capable of playing better in a number of areas."
They played well enough to win this game and move to 14-13, but they didn't emerge unscathed. Robinson Cano was struck on the left hand by an 88.4-mph, two-seam fastball from Gio Gonzalez on what was ruled a swing in the first inning. The second baseman, who is three hits short of 2,500, had to leave the game.
Initial X-rays were negative. But there was swelling, so he will undergo additional testing Monday. Cano got hit in the right hand the previous Sunday at St. Louis and missed two games.
The winning run in this game was unearned after Ben Gamel dropped Amed Rosario's liner to right-center for a two-base error with one out and none on in the seventh. Pinch hitter Michael Conforto was then intentionally walked.
Mets manager Mickey Callaway sent up lefty-hitting Dominic Smith to bat for Matz. Brewers manager Craig Counsell countered with lefty Alex Claudio. So Callaway countered with righty-hitting J.D. Davis. And this pinch hitter lined a single into left to drive in Rosario and make it 3-2.
That made a winner out of Matz. The lefty from Long Island improved to 3-1 and dropped his ERA to 3.68 after allowing two runs, five hits and no walks over seven. He has given up three runs or fewer in five of his six starts.
Nido took out insurance for him with a two-run pinch double in the eighth.
Seth Lugo struck out the side in the top of the inning, and Edwin Diaz finished it off with a 1-2-3 ninth for his eighth save in eight tries.
Matz was cruising with a three-hit shutout heading into the seventh. Gamel led off with a single and scored when Mike Moustakas belted a two-run homer to right-center to tie it at 2.
Back at the beginning, Gonzalez went out to make his first start with the Brewers. He was with the Yankees' Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre affiliate when he opted out on April 20. The Yankees declined to promote him and released him. He chose Milwaukee's offer to start right away over the Mets' bid for him.
The 33-year-old lefty owns the most wins by any visiting pitcher in Citi Field history, but he remained at 11-2 after a no-decision. He didn't pitch badly, though, allowing two runs, six hits and one walk over five innings.
Pete Alonso helped provide a run against him in the first, tripling high off the fence in left-center as left fielder Ryan Braun leapt and was doused with beer. Cano got hit on the next pitch by Gonzalez. Juan Lagares took over the at-bat and drew a walk. Todd Frazier followed by winning a nine-pitch at-bat. He lined an RBI single into left-center.
The Mets made it 2-0 in the second. Brandon Nimmo led off with a single, and Rosario brought him around with a double off the base of the fence in right-center.
