Coming into the season, the Mets and Nats looked to have deep and talented pitching staffs. So, of course, in this late June matchup it was Jerad Eickhoff up against Paolo Espino. Eickhoff gave up four solo homers and Espino gave up just five singles, as the Mets fell by an 8-4 score Monday in Washington.
The Mets trailed in this game, 5-0, as Washington clubbed one extra-base hit after another and the hard-hit balls by the Mets all landed in fielders’ gloves. But the Mets made hay once Espino left the game and cut the deficit to 5-4.
But the Mets failed to turn a double play and the Nats took full advantage, tacking on three additional runs to put the game out of reach.
At least there were signs of life from the offense. Four different guys had multi-hit games for the Mets, including Pete Alonso, who crushed a homer. Hopefully that type of hitting continues as the Mets head to Atlanta for a series against the Braves.
Quick observations…
– Eickhoff is really good on non-flyball plays
– Castro does not belong in any high leverage/winnable late spots. His walk rates are brutal and have not improved, and he has little command and is wild even in the zone
– Rojas has enough better options for close/late spots – Diaz, Lugo, May, Loup. Even Smith a better option right now
– when Nimmo returns and gets his sea legs back, Lindor needs to move to the 6 spot, at a minimum against lefties
Yeah, I was expecting the worst when Castro came in. His control sucks. He looked better in the beginning of the season, but has lost it.