Henry Aaron. Moises Alou. Lucas Duda. When Jerry Manuel, leaning back in the dugout before a game in 2010, strung that trio of names together, all those assembled erupted in laughter. Ok, Jerry. Lucas What?
No, the soon-to-be-outgoing manager insisted. Only three hitters make a particular sound during batting practice, their bats producing a thunder unique to them: One home run king, one longtime master of the craft, and the young Dude. After Duda's two-home run game on Saturday, which pushed the Mets over Atlanta 4-2, Manuel's comparison remained highly hyperbolic. But you know what? The old guy wasn't quite as crazy as he sounded.
Yes, other Mets made meaningful contributions in the team's second straight win to begin the season. David Wright homered in the first for his second of the year, R.A. Dickey allowed just two runs in six innings, and Sandy Alderson's renovated bullpen again dominated the later frames.
New closer Frank Francisco, after allowing two runners to reach base, struck out Matt Diaz to earn his second save in as many games. But this game belonged to the Dude, and was decided by his power.
When Mets officials gushed last winter about the ballpark's redesign, intended to neutralize what plated as an extreme pitchers' park since it opened in 2009, they mentioned the potential impact on Wright, Jason Bay and Duda.
If the third name seemed lower-profile than the others, its inclusion made clear how highly the club had come to regard its 26-year-old right fielder. A seventh-round draft choice in 2007, the Dude had always shown power - but scouts were unsure if he would ever become a complete hitter.
Through three minor league seasons, Duda did not distinguish himself as a prospect - until 2010, when he mashed 23 combined home runs in Double-A and Triple-A, and landed in the major leagues by the end of the summer. On Saturday, Duda's power unfastened what had been a tight game. Wright's homer in the first gave Dickey and early lead, and Duda supplemented that with his shot to center in the fourth that was the first homer to result from Citi Field's revised dimensions.
In that inning, though, the Mets failed inflict further pain on Atlanta starter Jair Jurrjens. Ostensibly the Braves' no. 2 starter, Jurrjens - known for a plethora of both talent and injuries - offered a fastball that peaked in the high-80s m.p.h and peaked at about 89 m.p.h. But the Mets did not maul him, stranding three runners in the fourth. The consequences were immediate; with two outs in the fifth, Dickey walked Michael Bourn and allowed a two-run homer to Martin Prado: Tie ballgame, but the Mets snatched back the lead in the bottom half of the inning, when Josh Thole singled in Ike Davis.
Now facing Livan Hernandez in the sixth, the Mets again put two runners in scoring position with two outs, and again failed to pad their lead. This time, Davis struck out looking on a close pitch low and away. Davis barked at home plate umpire Eric Cooper, but the score remained 3-2 - until Duda's bat helped to increase the lead.
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