Todds & ends
Frazier’s slam, 5 RBIs carry Mets to win after losing suspended game
CHICAGO — Among the free agents signed by the Mets last offseason, Todd Frazier has come the closest to attaining respectability.
A class that also included Jay Bruce, Anthony Swarzak, Jason Vargas and Jose Reyes has underwhelmed, but Frazier — when healthy — is providing a presence for this Mets lineup and a steady glove at third base.
On Wednesday, his first-inning grand slam carried the team in a 10-3 victory over the Cubs that allowed the Mets to leave Wrigley Field with a win in the three-game series. Earlier in the day, the Mets lost 2-1 in 11 innings in a game that was suspended because of rain the previous night.
Frazier, who arrived on a twoyear deal worth $17 million last winter, entered with a .906 OPS in his previous 21 games and has been a bright spot in an inconsistent lineup.
“My average I wish was higher and other little things,” said Frazier, who is slashing .231/.309/ .420. “I have over 50 RBIs and I think that is pretty good for being off for over two months [with injuries]. It shows you that if I am healthy I can do some damage and produce so I am just trying to finish up this last month. Let’s start ruining some guys’ playoff hopes.”
The Mets iced the game with four runs in the seventh. Reyes smashed a two-run triple after Amed Rosario and Austin Jackson had each delivered an RBI single, as part of a 16-hit attack.
Vargas continued a recent solid stretch after a horrid first half, limiting the Cubs to one earned run on four hits over 5 ¹/3 innings. It was a fourth straight start in which the veteran lefty pitched into the sixth inning and allowed two earned runs or fewer.
Frazier’s blast against Alec Mills provided Vargas with a nice cushion even before he threw a pitch.
The grand slam was the Mets’ seventh this season.
“[Frazier] is exactly what we thought we were going to get every day,” manager Mickey Callaway said. “He comes to the park every day, he is a leader in the clubhouse — he was pumped up this morning, getting the clubhouse ready — and even he comes out and hits a big grand slam.”
The previous night’s game, which was suspended because of rain in the 10th inning with it tied 1-1, resumed at noon local time and didn’t take long to resolve.
In the 11th inning, Paul Sewald threw away Victor Caratini’s bunt, giving the Cubs runners on second and third with nobody out. Ben Zobrist delivered a walk-off RBI single against Daniel Zamora, officially completing a game in which Jacob deGrom strengthened his NL Cy Young award candidacy by allowing one earned run over eight innings and lowered his ERA from 1.71 to 1.68.