The Mets lost the second game of their series against the lowly Braves tonight at Citi Field, 4-3. Sigh.

  • Steven Matz wasn’t on his A game but, you guessed it, still pitched well enough to win. I feel like a broken record at this point. His pitch count got up to 99 so he only made it through six innings. He struck out seven while giving up two runs, four hits, and two walks. The Braves were again super aggressive. In fact, their two solo home runs (one against Matz by old friend Jeff Francoeur) were on first pitches. You’d think the Mets would have learned by now…
  • Jim Henderson gave up the other first-pitch solo home run to Tyler Flowers in the seventh. He’s not been very good over his last ten games heading in to this one. Over those last ten, he pitched 9.1 innings to a 5.79 ERA and 1.39 WHIP while giving up three homers and walking seven. That’s not going to get it done.
  • The top of the eighth inning was like a perfectly crafted example of what the Mets are and are not. Ender Inciarte hit a ball down the line that he stretched into a double with speed and aggressive base running. On a line drive out to Curtis Granderson, in which Granderson put his head down and essentially gave up on the play while lobbing the ball in, Inciarte tagged up and made it to third. Addison Reed proceeded to bounce one and Rene Rivera couldn’t handle it. Obviously Inciarte dashed in and scored the go-ahead run.
  • On the flip side, the Mets put on a show of bad base running. James Loney, of all people, attempted to stretch a double into a triple in the fourth. Luckily it hit him on the throw and he made it. In the ninth, Tim Teufel apparently forgot that Wilmer Flores was the man running on Loney’s second double of the game and sent him around third to try and score from first. It wasn’t really all that close.
  • The Mets scored two of their three runs on the long ball, with solo homers by Yoenis Cespedes and Flores. They also manufactured a run, with Rivera bringing in Loney on a sac fly after that interesting triple.
  • The Mets will try to salvage the series tomorrow and avoid the sweep.

5 comments on “Gut Reaction: Braves 4, Mets 3 (6/18/2016)

  • TexasGusCC

    If I was just a casual baseball fan without any fandom to a particular team, I would try to catch a few Mets games a week. The Mets are an entertaining bunch along the likes of the Three Stooges or Lucy Ricardo playing golf or baking for a living. Each and every game there are screwups – some bigger, some smaller – or just a lacking of fundamental baseball that would lighten my night with laughter.

    However, I am a Mets fan and it’s not funny. It’s actually getting quite old.
    – Really impressed by Collins’ consistency, that is consistently crapping on the young player. He bunts with Rivera to get a guy into scoring position with one out (loved that, finally a fundamentally sound play) but leaves a lefty (Johnson) to hit against a lefty. However, the next inning with two outs and a man on first base, he pulls Conforto with a lefty on the mound. Burning a contact hitter (at best) in Reynolds and losing Conforto in a non scoring situation. Brilliant.
    – Tuefel? What can I say that everyone couldn’t see?
    – Franceour and Flowers both were ready to hit. Very comfortable in the box, jumping on first pitches away and yanking them. Trivia question: Who was the last Mets pitcher to consistently throw inside?
    – Did you hear Fox’s broadcasting crew mocking the Mets for being last in MLB in generating runs, meaning, scoring without a home run? This is a playoff team?

    This is not funny to us.

  • Gonzo2814

    That was a weak play at home. Could have been a different ending to this chapter but alas…

  • Eraff

    Slow and Bad Baserunners ….. Innatentive Defense by your Veteran Of’er…… Two .170 pinch hitters in a row…..

    Top to bottom, the organization is caught in some sort f sleepy preemption that things will just “get better”

    They need a Move….. They will be Dead by the Trade Deadline

  • Jim OMalley

    Horrible loss. The Mets can’t even think of replacing Collins (if they even would), until after the All-Star Game since Collins will manage the NL squad. The team will tread water until the third week of July unless something falls into their lap.

    • Eraff

      The third week of July will be about a month too late

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