NEW YORK _ Maybe this will be the homestand that saves Mickey Callaway's job and turns around the Mets' season.
After coming back to Queens in shambles, the Mets are back at .500 after winning six of their last seven. Help has come from all over the roster with Carlos Gomez and Tomas Nido taking turns as unlikely heroes. In Sunday's game, it was Adeiny Hechavarria and Zack Wheeler who made the difference.
Wheeler pitched into the eighth inning of the Mets' 4-3 win over Detroit, getting one out before turning it over to Jeurys Familia. With a pair of runners on, Familia struck out Nicholas Castellanos to get out of the rally unscathed.
Wheeler's performance was critical to the Mets as it came one day after a 13-inning affair. The right-hander was effective for most of the day, giving up three earned runs and striking out eight over 102 pitches.
Hechavarria blasted a three-run home run to hand Wheeler some early run support in the rubber game of the series. It was his second long ball in three days and sparked yet another Mets comeback.
Closer Edwin Diaz got Jacoby Jones to strikeout with the potential tying and go-ahead runs in scoring position. The Mets closer, pitching for the third time in four days, began the ninth inning with a four-pitch walk, allowed a stolen base to pinch-runner Josh Harrison and a single to Brandon Dixon.
The Tigers took a first-inning inning lead on Castellanos' solo home run and went up 3-0 later on with another two-out hit from Castellanos. It continued a peculiar trend for Wheeler, who owns a 7.09 ERA in the first three innings this season, but has been almost unhittable from that point forward.
The Mets regained the lead with four runs in the bottom of the fourth inning. After a leadoff double by Dominic Smith and a one-out single by Wilson Ramos, Todd Frazier beat the shift with a push bunt to an open second base side. Then Hechavarria pumped up a Citi Field crowd of 31,414 with his home run, egging on the home fans on his way around first base.
The Mets began the homestand in a state of disarray. Rumors swirled about Callaway's job security following five straight losses, including three to the dismal Miami Marlins. Controversies surrounding Robinson Cano and Yoenis Cespedes earned the Mets attention in the wrong way.
But the Mets are now at .500 for the first time since May 14. They took four straight against the Nationals and two of three against Detroit. Now, they head west for four games against the Dodgers and three in Arizona.
