Game #113: Diamondbacks 5, Mets 4

Marlon Byrd missed clearing the Great Wall of Phoenix by that much. Paul Goldschmidt didn't.

Goldschmidt hit a walk-off home run off Scott Atchison as the D-backs put away Jeremy Hefner and the Mets 5-4.

The Bad Stuff:

• Jeremy Hefner's late-summer swoon continued as he allowed four runs on eight hits in five-plus innings, walking three and striking out just one.
• Despite coming back to tie the game, the Mets missed many opportunities to score, going 3-13 with RISP and stranding seven.
• Bad luck by Marlon Byrd cost New York what would have been its first run of the game in the 2nd inning: Byrd hit a moon shot that bounced off the high outfield wall at Chase Field. The carom sent the ball all sorts of directions, and Byrd looked to fly home with an inside-the-parker. It was not to be, though, as he was called out at the plate on a bang-bang play. Call it the most disappointing triple of his career (although it was his fifth of the season - nothing to scoff at).

The Good Stuff:

• Justin Turner had his first big game of the summer, going 2-4 and driving in three runs.
• Wilmer Flores went 0-4 but had an RBI on a groundout that tied the game in the 8th.

Final Analysis:
Jonathon Niese is due back this weekend. I guess we won't have to sweat over deciding who gets demoted to the bullpen. At the All-Star Break Jeremy Hefner and Dillon Gee were neck-and-neck for the long-term job in the back of the rotation, but whereas Gee has excelled recently, Hefner has not. Looks like we've got our long man back.

MM