CONFORTO ZONE
Outfielder’s diving play saves Mets
The Mets needed Michael Conforto after all — but for his glove and not his bat.
At least that was the case Saturday night, as the Mets moved to within one game of the Cardinals in the race for the National League’s second wild card with an important 3-1 victory over the Nationals at Citi Field.
Conforto made one of the biggest plays of their 10th win in 14 games, a diving catch to snuff out a potential Nationals rally in the seventh inning. With a runner on first base and one out, former Met Daniel Murphy laced a sinking line drive to center field. Conforto got a quick jump, and laid out for the ball, scooping it up just before it hit the grass for the second out. Josh Smoker fanned Bryce Harper to get out of the inning, and preserve the lead.
“I had to go in there and take the risk there, and ended up making the play,” Conforto said.
When Juan Lagares underwent surgery to repair a torn tendon in his left thumb in late July, the Mets began using different players in center field. Conforto saw some time there, with the Mets and down in Triple-A Las Vegas. He’s looked good there — in his first game in center, back on July 24, Conforto made a similar catch to the one on Saturday.
“For a guy who hasn’t played a lot in center field, that’s taking a huge chance,” Collins said. “That ball bounces by him, it’s an easy triple, if not an inside-the-park home run. It’s a credit to his makeup and the fact he’s not afraid to try to make a big play.”
The play overshadowed a solid night at the plate for Conforto, who reached base in four trips, which included doubling off the left field fence. It’s a tiny sample size, just two starts, but Conforto has so far resembled the player that was such a big part of last year’s run to the World Series than the one who failed to replicate that performance this season after a hot April. In his first start, on Thursday, he also doubled to left field. In nine at-bats so far, the 23-year-old outfielder has reached base four times.
After hitting .365 in April, Conforto slumped badly over the ensuing months, leading to a pair of demotions to Triple-A Las Vegas, where he tore the cover off the ball. He returned on Thursday, hoping to find his early-season form, and help the Mets return to the postseason.
“It’s crazy how that all works,” Conforto said. “It’s definitely not the way I wanted this year to go, that’s easy to see and say. But at the same time when you come up in this situation, with the way the team is playing right now, it almost feel like it takes the rest of that stuff away.
“Here we are today, one game [out] of the playoffs. It definitely has a similar feel to last year when I came up.”