NEW YORK _ It's technically possible for the Mets to never lose again.
OK, fine, it's not remotely realistic, but there were moments in Friday's 6-5 win over the Brewers when the Mets did look downright unbeatable. It wasn't necessarily pitching dominance _ Steven Matz was serviceable, but hardly dominant _ and it wasn't pristine fielding (Jay Bruce had an error in right that led to a run). It was more how every time the Brewers seemed to have an advantage, the Mets pounced back, harder and louder, and never seemed to lose control.
Travis Shaw hit a solo home run off Seth Lugo in the eighth to draw the Brewers to within one, but Robert Gsellman _ a continued revelation out of the bullpen _ came in with two runners on to shut the door, and Jeurys Familia closed it down with a 1-2-3 ninth to give the Mets their ninth straight win. They improved to 11-1, the best start in franchise history.
Todd Frazier hit two home runs and Bruce had a run-scoring double and scored on a wild pitch, and the Mets made it a very happy night for a rollicking crowd that was very high on a team that has given them every reason to celebrate.
And all this after the team actually got some very bad news earlier in the day: Travis d'Arnaud is getting Tommy John surgery on the partial tear of his ulnar collateral ligament, and is lost for the year, and Kevin Plawecki has a hairline fracture in his hand, costing him around three to four weeks.
But things that would have devastated the Mets last year so far can't touch them in what's been a very charmed beginning of this year.
The Mets appeared to be well on their way, with an apparent leadoff double by Michael Conforto in the first inning, but though the shot was called back for being foul _ and Conforto eventually struck out _ it didn't stop them any. Asdrubal Cabrera followed up with a real double to the right-field corner, and Yoenis Cespedes lined a single to left to give the Mets a 1-0 lead. (They're charmed, remember?)
Frazier made it 2-0 leading off the second inning, hitting Zach Davies' 86-mph cutter to the base of the apple in straightaway center for his first home run as a Met.
After no-hitting the Brewers for three innings, Matz got into trouble in the fourth, allowing a two-out double to Jesus Aguilar and a game-tying home run to Hernan Perez. But the discomfort was short-lived: Frazier hit his second homer of the game to lead off the bottom of the inning, putting the Mets back up 3-2. It was Frazier's ninth multi-home run game. The Mets added two runs in the fifth, knocking out Davies after 41/3 innings. With two on and one out, Bruce hit a deep double to the gap in right-center, scoring Conforto, who had walked. Adrian Gonzalez followed with a sacrifice fly to deep center.
Bruce later scored from third on reliever Dan Jennings' wild pitch, good for a 6-2 lead.
The Brewers got two back against Matz in the sixth, when Bruce misplayed a ball in right for a two-base error, and Ryan Braun homered to left to cut the lead to 6-4. That more or less spelled the end of the night for Matz, who pitched 51/3 innings, allowing four runs, three earned, and three hits with two walks and five strikeouts.
Shaw hit his second home run of the year in the eighth, as the Mets finally _ briefly _ seemed on the ropes. Mickey Callaway used four pitchers that inning, concluding with Gsellmen, who got Jett Bandy to ground out softly to end the inning.