It was déjà vu all over again for the Mets, as they were unable to hold two multi-run leads en route to an 8-7 loss Sunday against the Brewers. After taking the first game in the series, the Mets dropped the last three games, with all three being very winnable contests.
The offense has been streaky in the month of May as 12 times it has scored two runs or fewer and seven times with five runs or more. The offense did its job, putting seven runs on the board and helping the Mets to 4-1 and 6-4 leads.
The other positive in this game besides the offense is that Zack Wheeler was sent out to the mound for the sixth inning with his pitch count sitting at 97. Wheeler had retired eight of the last 10 batters he faced, with the two guys who reached base with a single and an error. Wheeler hit in the top of the sixth with two outs and no one on base and then had a 1-2-3 sixth inning.
The game was lost in the seventh inning, with a series of questionable pitching moves combined with some fortunate hits that weren’t struck very hard but had great placement. The thing to keep in mind is that the Mets have a doubleheader on Monday with no idea who is going to pitch the second game. The goal in this game should have been to use as few pitchers as possible as the bullpen will likely be used quite heavily in the nightcap.
Robert Gsellman was brought on to start the seventh. Gsellman pitched 1.2 innings on Friday, so he was going on one day of rest. He gave up an infield single to shallow third surrounded by two outs. Gsellman then walked red-hot Jesus Aguilar, on a pitch that pretty much everyone thought was a strike. Lefty Travis Shaw was coming to the plate and the Mets opted to bring in lefty Jerry Blevins.
But Blevins had pitched in back-to-back games, including a rare 1.1 inning outing yesterday. Shaw is lousy against lefties, flailing against curveballs thrown by southpaws. He got a fastball from Blevins and delivered a bloop RBI single. Paul Sewald, who hadn’t pitched since Friday and who should have started the inning, was brought on and promptly gave up back-to-back doubles.
So, the Mets lost the lead, burned through three pitchers in the inning and left themselves in even worse shape for Monday’s twinbill.
The Mets staged a mini rally in the ninth inning, with Devin Mesoraco delivering a pinch-hit homer and Amed Rosario drawing his second walk in as many days. That brought up Asdrubal Cabrera, who homered earlier in the game, as the go-ahead run. But Cabrera struck out – swinging at two pitches out of the zone after the previous batter walked – as did Michael Conforto to end the game.
With the exceptions of Lugo and Gsellman, our bullpen has been pathetic this year. Good Lord, has it come down to that we pray for a speedy Robles recovery to right this sinking ship?
I have no sympathy for Blevins pitching 1.1 innings yesterday. For God’s sakes he is a MLB pitcher. Is his arm that delicate that he can only appear 2-3 times a week to face one batter?
Good teams don’t end up 1-3 in a series like this.
They scored five plus runs in three games and won just one game, geez. The pitching was beyond pathetic and the in game managing was beyond bad. I didn’t think Sandy could find as bad as s manager as Collins, but somehow he did. We’ve seen managers from Howe to Randolph to Collins to now Callaway be married to splits and that led to abuse of Feliciano, Stanton, Heilman and Blevins being abused. It sure looks like Terry broke Blevins.
I hate to get on Cabrera because he’s been great but my goodness was his at bat in the ninth wretched, I mean Rosario showed better patience in his at bat that inning.
This looks like another long year, we wait six months for baseball and look forward to the season and for six months we get tortured.
At least we have a high draft to look forward to…
Blevins has pitched 100 innings since the beginning of 2016. It is more like he has faded quickly at age 35.
Relief pitchers should easily be able to pitch 100 innings per year.
Rather than looking at innings, maybe they should look at pitch count. Did a relief pitcher throw 20 pitches in one inning or 10?
This century there have only been six relievers to throw 100 innings in a season and none since Scott Proctor did it in 2006. The most innings thrown by a guy who was exclusively a reliever was the 107 innings thrown by Steve Sparks in 2003.
Mickey needs to adapt to who’s hot and cold rather than stick with such a fixed approach. Ramos and Blevins have been awful. Gsellman should never have been pulled and I was yelling at the TV as he made that move.
Can Swarzak please get back already?!