The Mets fell behind 4-0, cut the deficit to one run, put the first two runners on in the ninth inning but couldn’t tie the game, falling to the Padres, 4-3, in the first game of a four-game set Thursday night in San Diego.
This promised to be a pitcher’s duel, with two of the top 10 starters in ERA going in Yu Darvish and Taijuan Walker. But Walker wasn’t sharp and the Padres put up four runs against him in five innings. But it’s not like Walker got hit hard. He did give up a homer to Fernando Tatis Jr. but it was in the glove of Mason Williams, only to pop out, hit the top of the wall and go over the fence.
Otherwise, there wasn’t a ton of hard contact. Walker was done in by some walks and the final run he allowed scored on a wild pitch in the fifth inning.
And one could make the case that Walker shouldn’t have even been in the game in the fifth. His spot in the order came up in the top of the inning and it was the first time the Mets had done anything against Darvish, as they had two runners on base. But because of a burnt-out bullpen due to David Peterson’s first-inning exit on Wednesday, Luis Rojas let Walker hit and he ended the inning.
Another good pinch-hitting opportunity happened in the sixth inning and this time Rojas sent up Pete Alonso, who was given a day off, to the plate with the bases loaded and one out. But Alonso hit into a double play to end the threat.
The Mets got a two-run homer from James McCann earlier in the sixth inning and an RBI triple by Billy McKinney in the eighth. The Padres had been playing a weird shift against several of the Mets’ lefty hitters, one that had 3B Manny Machado in shallow right field and Wil Myers way over in the RC gap. McKinney pulled one down the line that got away from Myers that Machado had to track down. It was certainly the time to be aggressive but McKinney was held at third. We didn’t have the greatest camera angles to see if he should have been sent home. Ron Darling indicated he thought it was the right play.
The Mets again kept it close thanks to a fine effort from the bullpen. Jacob Barnes threw two scoreless innings and Aaron Loup had a 1-2-3 eighth inning.
Tomas Nido opened the ninth inning with a pinch-hit single and Jose Peraza drew a walk. After a fielder’s choice the game ended when Kevin Pillar hit into a double play. Pillar hit it right up the middle, a ball that would have been a hit for most of MLB history. But it was right into the shift and was as easy of a DP as you could imagine.
I asked this before, but don’t recall anyone answering. I always thought that in order to qualify for the ERA title, or to be listed among the leaders, the IP requirement was 1 IP for every game the team has played. To date, the Mets have played 49 games, so that means any Mets pitcher with >=49 IP should be listed among leaders, provided their ERA is sufficiently low. Currently, according to BR, JdG has pitched 51 innings, and Walker has pitched 54 innings, so both should be listed among NL ERA leaders, with JdG listed as first, and Walker listed 6th, but neither appears on BR’s NL ERA leaders top 10
I spent the time looking into your question and I got the answer and I posted it. I’m disappointed you didn’t choose to look for the answer where you originally asked it.
Sorry to disappoint you. In reviewing your archives, I’ve discovered that there are plenty of articles/posts I’ve never seen. I guess the reason is that I often go a week or more without visiting this here place. Also, I get the impression that I’m sometimes ignored. Not that it’s a bad thing – I often wish people would ignore me in the real world
This game comes under, “You gotta lose some of the time.” Bad game for Drury, who probably shouldn’t even be on the team…
Gotta think Villar would have made a difference, in the field and at the plate… hope his injury is minor.
And on the Tatis HR, imagine if the ball had remained in Mason’s glove… Taijuan would have kept his shutout going, would have thrown fewer pitches, and maybe the Mets beat Darvish… a nice start to the series. Instead, the team has to regroup and scratch to get the series tied. No game will be easy.
Pete was really frustrated he ended the threat with a DP… maybe he will get to make up for it… I would have been tempted to let Mason W. hit against the tough lefty… I think he looks pretty good.
And, Brian… did you see McKinney rounding the bases?… he can run, man! DiCarcina would never send him… worst 3rd base coach in baseball.
In the Game Chatter, I asked how slow McKinney was. Either Gary or Ron talked about how he had above-average speed and from what we saw on replay, he was running full speed when he got the stop sign. But from the angles we were shown on the broadcast, it wasn’t possible to say if it was a good call or not to hold him. I think that with two outs and the bottom of the order coming up that it was time to be aggressive. But there’s a difference between being aggressive and being stupid.
My opinion is that the ball was in the air and on the ground for a long time. But Darling said his internal clock said there wasn’t enough time for an inside the park homer. I’ll defer to him. But my initial reaction was the opposite.
If the ball is in the outfielder’s hand when the runner reaches third, I send him. If the ball is already in the air, he’ll be dead. Still, the players have to execute to get him, and with two out, its worth the risk. I doubt he was at third when the ball left Manny’s hand.