The Mets started a short but multi-mile road trip with a return entanglement with the Milwaukee Brewers. When we last saw the Brew Crew, Steven Matz held them almost completely in check and tonight, the Mets were hoping for a repeat performance.
Brandon Woodruff would provide the loyal opposition, coming off a middling performance in a win against the Mets last Saturday. He had a rough go of it off the bat. Jeff McNeil led off the game by beating out an infield hit to short. He was erased on a steal attempt as Pete Alonso struck out. Robinson Cano worked out a twelve (!!!) pitch walk and moved down to second on another infield hit, this one by Michael Conforto. Wilson Ramos chased him home with a hard single to right. Brandon Nimmo grounded out to end the inning, Woodruff having thrown 34 pitches. The Brewers tied it up on Matz’s third pitch of the game, Lorenzo Cain slamming a non-sinking sinker over the right-center field fence. There the game stood for the next three innings, nothing to choose between the two teams, both starters throwing a frightfully high number of pitches. Matz ran into some trouble in the fourth, surrendering hits to Mike Moustakas, Hernan Perez and Woodruff, but Cain flew out to shallow right. In the fifth, Matz hit a solid one-out single up the middle. After McNeil flew out to the opposite field, Alonso bounced a single through the vacated second base position, sending Matz to third, but Cano hit a ball out to deep center that Cain was able to chase down. The Brewers would take advantage of that futility in the bottom half.
Matz walked Yasmani Grandal on a close pitch to lead it off and Ryan Braun hit a 2-2 fastball way up and way over the center field fence. The embattled Alex Claudio replaced Woodruff in the sixth and muffled the Mets’ offense, despite a bizarre error by Jesus Aguilar at first base. Spearing a grounder by Conforto, Aguilar made an awkward throw across his stomach, described by Todd Zeile in the SNY booth as “trying to throw a water balloon.” Ramos then hit a bullet back through the box that glanced off Claudio’s glove and instead became a rally-killing double play. Matz exited with two outs and nobody on in the bottom of the sixth having thrown 103 pitches. Robert Gsellman replaced him and Juan Lagares took over in center on the double-switch.
The offense now faced the daunting task of trying to solve Josh Hader before the last six outs were recorded. Hader got the first three with ease. The next three were a little more problematic. Conforto led off the ninth with a rope double into right center. Ramos drew a walk, Keon Broxton pinch-running for him. J.D. Davis hit for the pitcher and couldn’t catch up with Hader’s heater. Todd Frazier went down swinging, as well. That left it up to Amed Rosario, who was simply overmatched, ending the game chasing a 2-2 fastball.
It’s Zack Wheeler vs. Gio Gonzalez tomorrow night, 7:10 from Suds City.
Matz gave the Mets a cromulent start today and maybe could have given them another inning if not for all those hits somehow out of the reach of Mets infielders. That said, Matz’s homer issues is a problem and has been one whether the ball has been juiced or not as it seems half the time he tries to throw a pitch inside it leaks over the plate and goes a long way.
The offense went in brown out mode since the last series at home and stayed that way tonight. The Mets had chances but it seemed like every time they had a rally Frazier or Ramos came up to stomp out the rally.
I was fine with the Frazier signing but it hasn’t worked out as he’s been a declining pop up machine with declining power since 2017 and today was one of his worst games as a Met, and since they won’t play Davis over Frazier hopefully Lowrie Is back soon and isn’t too rusty.
That said, the larger issue is Nimmo being up and mostly down with him being a shell of last years hitter not that I expected him to put up a OPS+ of 150 again. Conforto got off to a great start but has really struggled terribly the last ten days hopefully the double off of Hader gets him going. Ramos has been a ground ball machine with no power and Alonso has slowed down a bit. There’s too much talent not to hit again and soon.
Hader is a monster and give Counsell credit he is using him perfectly and very open minded. The sun will come up tomorrow and is only a day away you can bet your bottom dollar on that do hopefully the offense gets going.
The issues is power outages and offenses going into a deep slumber is staples of Chilli Davis offenses and why he’s had such a shelf life as a hitting coaches in numerous places.
David, I could follow the Chili Davis rationale if I hadn’t followed the Mets’ last few years, but since I’m familiar with their results last year, the year before that, and at times in the previous two years, I think it’s too early to call out Chili Davis when I actually am glad to hear his message and it’s a message I was hoping they’d get or years now. While slumps will happen, explain to me why JD Davis is sitting for a scrub like Frazier? Let Frazier play, but not everyday and then bat fifth too! Ramos is cold, but Ramos has had success recently while Frazier’s offensive success has been more than half a decade ago. What isn’t Callaway seeing?
Alas, you’re right about Matz but he held them in the game. Nimmo hasn’t been good in the bottom of the order going back to Bozo the Manager’s lineups. Why not put Nimmo at the top, McNeil second, Alonso third, Conforto, Cano, Ramos, Rosario, and whoever plays third or CF depending on where you put McNeil and leave the lineup alone? Callaway fills out his lineup like there’s reserved spaces for certain names. That’s why he loses more than his bonehead moves: He wants to please everybody. What a nice guy! I’m so ready for Girardi.
No use pointing fingers at the pitcher or the manager or the hitting coach when the team scores 2 runs in the last 3 games. No matter who’s in the lineup for the Mets from year to year they always find a way to go into collective slumps.
David for the first time on Mets360 I got stumped by a word. I’m guessing you watch the Simpsons or read weird stuff in Reddit.