Brett Baty, Nick Morabito each tally three RBI in Mets' 10-4 series-clinching win over Rays

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The Mets (63-77) took the rubber match of their three-game road series against the Tampa Bay Rays (83-56), 10-4, the final score.

Here are the takeaways...

-- The Amazins wasted no time taking an early lead over Rays right-handed starter Griffin Jax. Juan Soto reached base on a single up the middle, but was retired on a fielder's choice by Bo Bichette. Carson Benge walked to put runners on first and second with two outs, and Jared Young capitalized with an RBI single. Tampa catcher Liam Hicks couldn't hold onto the ball when applying the late tag on Bichette, and the ball skittered away. The error allowed Benge to score and Young to move up to second base on the play. Marcus Semien added to the damage with a double down the left field line to bring Young across home plate, and the Mets were up 3-0.

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-- The Mets engineered another two-out rally in the third inning. They loaded the bases after A.J. Ewing hustled out an infield single, and Brett Baty capitalized with a big opposite-field swing which ricocheted off the very top of the wall in left-center field, clearing the bases and knocking Jax out of the game. 

-- 29-year-old righty Justin Hagenman was called on to make the start for the Mets on Wednesday, marking his first MLB appearance of the season. He threw 46 pitches, allowed two hits, walked one batter, and allowed one earned run while striking out two over three full innings. 

-- Right-handed reliever Chris Devenski came in for Hagenman, and had a nightmare outing. After recording two outs in the fourth inning, Devenski unraveled, allowing three earned runs on three hits, including a two-run homer off the bat of Richie Palacios. Taylor Walls extended the inning with a double to force Mets interim skipper Andy Green to call on Dedniel Núñez to strand the runner in scoring position and hold the Mets' 6-4 lead.

-- Bichette led off the seventh inning with a double off the foot of the wall in right-center field. With the bases loaded and nobody out, rookie left fielder Nick Morabito stepped into the box for his first turn at the plate. He cleared the bases with a looping line drive into the left-field corner, his first career hit.

-- The Mets wouldn't relinquish their lead, and closed out the final three frames of the ballgame without surrendering a run thanks to strong relief pitching from Nate Lavender, Daniel Duarte, and Jonathan Pintaro. Along the way, Soto mashed a solo shot, his 23rd round-tripper on the season, to extend New York's lead to 10-4.

Game MVP: Whoever was batting eighth!

Baty began the game as the eighth batter in the Mets' order, and his three-run double padded the team's early cushion. Mark Vientos pinch-hit for Baty to face left-handed reliever Cam Booser and stroked a single. Morabito pinch-ran for Vientos and, in his first time at the plate, faced right-handed reliever Manuel Rodriguez, and he replicated Baty's earlier feat with yet another two-out three-run double, a moment he'll cherish for a lifetime. Morabito kept his momentum rolling in the ninth inning with a line drive single. 

Collectively, the eighth man in the Mets lineup batted 4-for-5 with six RBI on the night. 

Highlights

What's next

The Mets travel to San Francisco to take on the Giants in a three-game series, with first pitch for Friday's game set for 7:10 p.m. EST.

New York will send out Nolan McLean (3.06 ERA, 1.12 WHIP in 155.2 IP).

The Giants have not yet announced their starter.

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