This one was a rough game for the Mets. Despite a late push by the bats, the Nationals easily walked away with the rubber game of a three-game set to tie the season series at three games apiece. They quite literally “walked” away with this one today as Mets pitchers walked 12.
Zack Wheeler doled out a career-high seven free passes, including four in the 5th innings to walk in a run. A four-hit two-walk 2nd inning also hurt his final line, which came to be 4.2 IP, 7ER, 4 H, 7 BB, and 2 K’s. Having to face the Nationals twice in a row certainly didn’t help Wheeler, but he didn’t help himself either with only 51 of his 103 pitches going for strikes. Tim Peterson also struggled with control in relief, accounting for the other five walks.
Max Scherzer started for the Nationals, and fortunately the Mets will not have to face him for at least another month.
The final score may be a surprise to those who tuned out after the top of the 7th inning, as the Mets continued their domination of the National’s bullpen with eight runs in garbage time. The tying run was actually in the hole for the Mets with one out in the 9th after a Michael Conforto three-run blast, but Dave Martinez went to closer Sean Doolittle to lock down the save. In the 7th Brandon Nimmo broke out of his slump with an RBI double, and Pete Alonso followed up with a three-run homer for his third bomb of the season. After today’s game the Mets now lead the Majors in runs scored in the 7th-9th innings, but fall to 6-3.
Wheeler has no command of his fastball but didn’t go to his secondary pitches at all and paid for it. No idea why Peterson, who has crappy stuff and was dreadful in the majors last year made the team, one day Mickey think Avilan is anything more than a loogy. Good news the offense led by Alonso and Conforto continues to impress and Nimmo had some encouraging at bats and Lugo looked like himself after pitching badly due to being sick.
Wow— what a disappointing performance by Wheeler!!!!!! “Can’t Find the Plate” cannot be overstated as a concern. Mental/Physical… His next start becomes Huge!!!!
While we hope to see the starting rotation be the strength everyone was anticipating, there are dark clouds on the outskirts. Some of those clouds are Wheeler’s, Matz’s and Vargas’ inconsistent track record, some are that there is no great talent in the wings and though Oswalt or Flexen may be passable but hard to expect to be better than what’s there right now, and other clouds are that while price has dropped to one year and the price of a QO, you will still lose a draft pick and his velocity and strikeout numbers are barely more than Vargas’! So, why bother? My point is, if these guys don’t turn it around, there isn’t much of a cavalry coming to the Mets’ rescue.
I wouldn’t mind shaking things up a bit, like using Gsellman as a starter for two innings and then bringing in Vargas to face the other team’s lefties…
It’s so early in the season and we are 6-3 so happy to let Dave and Mickey straighten out Wheels. 13 games left with the gnats. Let’s take 8 of them.
Yes it was disappointing especially the walks but the season isn’t a Sprint it is a marathon. There are four teams in the division are 500 or better. It is a very competitive division. 555 percentage should win the division or 90 games. My gut reaction is this series was a lost opportunity to establish space from a division rival. The Mets need to do that in order to win the division. Glad to see Lugo pitch well and Conforto Alonso,McNeill and Ramos hitting well and the Met offense putting consistent crooked numbers on the scoreboard especially late in the game. They are 6-3, be optimistic and happy and cheer for their accomplishments. LGM
This is not the July/August Roster…assuming all goes well, they will re-balance and do some adds.
Meanwhile, they’re competitive and interesting/exciting…”The NL Beast” is gonna be a great show!!!!