With Jeff McNeil (shoulder), Luis Torrens (hand) and Brandon Nimmo (neck) not starting, the Mets were a banged up bunch heading into the series finale with the Nationals. Even though the Mets had been playing better for the last week or so, old habits die hard. A short starting pitching performance, ineffective bullpen arms, and the bats not doing their part led to the Mets dropping the rubber game 9-3.
The scoring started just one batter into the game when Nats’ starter MacKenzie Gore served up a solo home run to Francisco Lindor. Lindor, last week’s National League Player of the Week, has been heating up again after a prolonged slump after suffering a broken toe. The solo home run trend continued with a Starling Marte solo shot putting the Mets up 2-0 in the top of the third.
Sean Manaea was excellent early allowing just one baserunner through the first three on a ground rule double by Brady House that was a line-drive that got caught between the outfield wall’s padding.
In the fourth, the Mets loaded the bases on a Brett Baty single, a Tyrone Taylor walk, and a Cedric Mullins single. Hayden Senger then sent a fly ball deep to center for sacrifice fly, earning him his first career big league RBI and putting the Mets ahead by three.
The Nationals loaded the bases in the bottom of the fourth as well. Paul DeJong reached after striking out when a ball got away from Senger. Andrés Chaparro singled up the middle to put two on with just one out, and Riley Adams was hit by a pitch. A fielder’s choice off the bat of Dylan Crews scored a run and moved the tying runs into scoring position. Daylen Lile flew out to Mullins to end the inning, and the recent fourth inning curse was narrowly escaped. Further curses were still hovering just out of sight.
After walking both Marte and Pete Alonso, former Met/current Nationals manager Miguel Caito yanked Gore in favor of Jackson Rutledge. Rutledge got Mark Vientos to pop out to right and struck out Baty to keep it a two-run game.
With one on in the fifth, Jacob Young pushed a bunt to first base. Alonso grabbed the ball and made a late throw to second base, allowing both runners to be safe. After inducing a fly out to left, Manaea drilled CJ Abrams in the back and loaded the bases for the second straight inning. Paul DeJong drove a ball just deep enough into center to allow a run to score and the Mets’ lead was down to just one run. Chaparro drew a walk, loading the bases again, and saw Manaea get pulled for Tyler Rogers.
On just Rogers’s second pitch of the game, Riley Adams lined a single over second base, scoring two and putting the Nats up 4-3. The Mets escaped the inning when Chaparro was caught in a rundown between second and third base.
Rogers began the sixth with strikeout of Dylan Crews and House, sandwiched around a Lile single to center. After Lile stole second, Young hit a line drive to center that Mullins attempted to catch but couldn’t hold on to and led to another run coming in. Brooks Raley relieved Rogers and struck out James Wood to end the frame.
The seventh inning saw both teams go down in order. The Mets got a baserunner on in the eighth after Vientos walked, and Cairo went to his closer Jose Ferrer with two outs in the eighth to face pinch hitter Jeff McNeil. It took just three pitches to sit McNeil down on strikes.
Ryne Stanek came in to pitch the ninth and allowed the first two runners to reach without recording an out. After retiring Lile on a fly out, House collected his third hit of the day, scoring Adams and putting the Nats up 6-3. James Wood, who had struck out thrice in the game and seven times in the series, blasted an opposite field three-run shot to break the game open.
In my recap on Tuesday night, I mentioned how the team felt totally re-energized after a good weekend series and a dominant win in the first game of this series. But after being totally inept against the worst bullpen in baseball for two days in a row, the bad vibes are back again.
The Mets travel to Truist Park for a likely frustrating series with the Braves beginning tomorrow. Nolan McLean and Joey Wentz will start for New York and Atlanta, respectively.
Amazin’ Avenue
Federal Baseball
Big Mets winner: Starling Marte, +10.0% WPA
Big Mets loser: Tyler Rogers, -30.4% WPA
Mets pitchers: -36.0% WPA
Mets hitters: -14.0% WPA
Teh aw3s0mest play: Starling Marte’s solo home run +10.% WPA
Teh sux0rest play: Riley Adams’ two-run single, -21.4% WPA