The Mets made it interesting in the ninth inning but could not overcome the two-run homer allowed by Dennis Santana in the top of the inning. They scored one off Josh Hader and had two runners on base but the rally came up short, with the Padres escaping with a 4-2 win Tuesday night at Citi Field.
It was a close game throughout the night until the homer by Xander Bogaerts. Santana, who’s no better than the seventh pitcher in the pen, was in the game in the ninth inning of a one-run game because Buck Showalter used Adam Ottavino in a five-run game the previous day. I like how Showalter gives his relievers rest. Not a fan of using high-leverage guys in five-run games, though.
It wasn’t a good sign when the Mets loaded the bases with no one out in the first inning and didn’t score.
David Peterson pitched a lot better than his previous time out but ended up the hard-luck loser. His command still wasn’t as good as we’ve seen in the past but it was still a good outing. It was one bad pitch and perhaps one strategic move that didn’t work out.
After the Mets staked Peterson to a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the fourth, he had runners on second and third with two outs. Up at the plate was righty Manny Machado and on deck was lefty Juan Soto. It was a pick your poison option and the Mets opted to forego the platoon advantage and go after Machado.
Peterson had a 2-2 count and decided to double up on his slider. It wasn’t a good one and Machado smacked it for a two-run double. Peterson struck out Soto to end the inning. And that was it for the scoring until the ninth inning.
Pete Alonso and Jeff McNeil drew walks. Luis Guillorme was up and Showalter pinch-hit with Tomas Nido, his last RHB on the bench. Nido hit what could have been the game-ending double play ball but Showalter put the runners in motion and the Padres were only able to get Nido at first.
That brought up Francisco Alvarez, who was having trouble with the breaking balls he had seen earlier in the game. But with Hader on the mound, you knew he’d see plenty of fastballs. He had the count full but ended the game with a strikeout, the third pitch out of the zone he swung at in the at-bat.
I turned on the game late. Can’t believe Canha swung at a pitch that hit him in the elbow. 6-6, not really an inspiring start. I knew Alvarez was going to whiff. But at least he gave it a shot. It would have been a nice win off of a tough pitcher. Better luck tomorrow.
So, how is Baty’s thumb? Would really like to get him in there instead of Escobar. I love Guillorme in the field, but he hits like Bud Harrelson with a whiffle ball bat. Would rather have Mauricio.
The first thought after not scoring with the bases loaded was this is a bad omen. Had them on their heels and let them off the hook with 4-5-6 coming up and got zip. What a story it could have been with a damn single from Alvarez. Yes, he was facing Hader, but you got to step up. On to Megill and maybe some offense.
Gut Reaction: late in the game, there were two opportunities for Alvarez to change the outcome of the game. He struck out both times and both times he chased pitches that were not in the strike zone. Rookie jitters or is he free swinger that doesn’t know the strike zone? Experience will tell.
In the first dozen games, Santana has allowed a home run and a crucial time twice. I was surprised that he was in the 9th inning of a one-run game. Santana hasn’t any options left so if cut him they can lose him. He should be on a real short leash at this point. He should only be a mop of man until he proves himself worthy. I would cut him.
We’ve seen this trend from Buck before. All in for wins, but seemingly too willing to send in his his second-tier relievers when trailing. However, going into this game we knew that the pen would be shorthanded and, if things played out a certain way, it would become a problem.
The media and bloggers love to focus on RISP and I’ve never believed in it. I generally see it as a small sample size of BA in general. So, yeah, the Mets .200 BA with RISP is the worst in baseball; but their .214 BA is the worst in baseball, too.
Mark Canha isn’t a 5-hole hitter: he’s an excellent 4th outfielder.
Just a thought: Alvarez hit 3-28 in Spring Training. That’s hard to do. Swinging at absolute garbage is a concern. Hopefully that’s not the real Alvarez. But it might be the real Alvarez *for now.*