(Neil Miller/Sportsday Wire)
Sandy Alderson’s acquisitions have paid early dividends as Kelly Johnson and Juan Uribe helped the Mets beat the Dodgers over the weekend.
Johnson homered in his first game as a Met, in Saturday’s 15-2 win over the Dodgers and Uribe’s walk-off hit in the 10th inning beat LA on Sunday.
Uribe comes to New York with a reputation for coming through with the big hit. He was on the 2005 White Sox and 2010 Giants World Series championship teams.
Mets bench coach Bob Geren has worked with Uribe and winter ball and had some advice for Terry Collins.
“If they get back in this game, he’s gotta be in the lineup because he’ll get a big hit.”
With Curtis Granderson on second and one out, Don Mattingly ordered an intentional walk to Daniel Murphy to bring up Uribe.
Uribe smashed an 0-2 pitch off the wall to win the game.
“That’s why we got him, and those are the things he’s going to bring to this team along with Kelly,” said Collins after Sunday’s 3-2 win. “That quality, veteran, big-league bat that’s sitting on that bench that the other team’s gotta be concerned about.”
The duo, acquired from the Braves for two prospects, can give the Mets some occasional pop.
Uribe has 186 career home runs since coming into the league in 2001 and Johnson has 141 since debuting in 2005.
As far as impressive starts go, Uribe and Johnson are reminiscent of two other Mets.
In July 2000, the Mets acquired Mike Bordick from Baltimore, and hours later acquired Bubba Trammell from Tampa Bay.
Bordick homered in his first at-bat as a Met in a win over the Cardinals. The next day, Trammell homered in his first at-bat as a Met as New York beat St. Louis again.
This isn’t to say that the Mets will win the pennant like they did in 2000, but Uribe and Johnson improve the team and got off on the right foot this weekend against the NL West-leading Dodgers.