Stat of the Series

My Stats & Information colleague, Dan Braunstein, who writes a similar set of recaps on the Dodgers for ESPN L.A. had the best note from Wednesday’s 17-1 series-ending romp.

Four Mets (David Wright, Ike Davis, Daniel Murphy, and Scott Hairston) drove in at least four runs Wednesday, the fourth time a team has done that since the RBI became an official statistic in 1920. The Mets were the first team to have four players with at least four RBIs since the 2007 Rangers did in their 30-3 win over the Orioles.

Also of note from this game:

This was tied for the second-largest margin of victory in Mets history. Their biggest win was a 19-1 triumph over the Cubs on May 26, 1964.

The famous story attached to that game was that of a fan calling a New York newspaper and asking for the Mets result that day. When told the Mets scored 19 runs, he replied, “But did they win?”

This marked the fifth time the Mets scored at least 17 runs in a game at Wrigley Field (they scored a team-record 23 in 1987). No visiting team has more such games over the span since the Mets began playing in 1962.

Pitcher of the Series

Jonathon Niese got the win with a stellar effort in Wednesday’s triumph over the Cubs.

Niese has allowed two runs or fewer in four of his five starts this month and the reason for that is his performance with runners in scoring position.

Niese held the Cubs to 0-for-4 in such situations on Wednesday. It was the third start this month in which he held an opponent hitless with runners in scoring position. Overall, opposing hitters were 3-for-25 with 11 strikeouts in those situations against him in June.

Niese also drew two walks, giving him four multi-walk games as a hitter for his career. That’s one shy of the “record” for most multi-walk games by a Mets pitcher. Tom Seaver had five.

Obscure Note of the Series

Mets pitcher Jon Rauch posted one of the most obscure pitching lines in baseball history, yielding four runs on no hits and one walk in Monday’s loss.

Elias came through on our inquiry regarding the rarity of such a line. Rauch became the second pitcher in the Modern Era (since 1900) to allow four runs, no hits, while walking one batter or fewer.

The only other was the one-and-only Edward “Slim” Love of the 1916 Yankees against the White Sox.

Thanks for (saving the Mets from) Nothing

Ike Davis’ home run in Monday’s loss marked the sixth time in Mets history that a Met homered with two outs in the ninth inning, with the team down 6-0 or worse.

It was the first since Jay Payton hit one against future-Mets-killer Bronson Arroyo in October, 2001.

Baserunning Misadventures

Lucas Duda took his share of heat for failing to score from first base on Davis’ double in the loss to the Cubs on Tuesday. He would score from first on a double on Wednesday.

That’s the only time this season he’s scored from first on a double in six instances in which he was on first base when a double was hit.