The Mets won the completion of the suspended game but fell short in the nightcap, splitting the first two games of the series with the Red Sox in Boston Saturday.
The Mets held a 4-3 lead when play was suspended Friday, with Brandon Nimmo and Daniel Vogelbach hitting two-run homers in the third and fourth innings, respectively. When play resumed, Pete Alonso doubled, went to third on a wild pitch and scored on an infield single by Brett Baty.
Grant Hartwig came on in relief of Kodai Senga and threw two shutout innings. He was relieved by David Peterson, who was not particularly sharp and who was lucky to give up only one run. But Dominic Leone, Brooks Raley and David Robertson shut the door over the final three innings to give the Mets the win.
In the nightcap Max Scherzer was not good.
He allowed solo homers in both the first and second innings to put the Mets in an early hole. And after Jeff McNeil bailed him out with a little league home run, Scherzer gave up solo homers in the fifth and sixth innings to put the Mets behind again.
At one time, the slider was a great pitch for Scherzer. For whatever reason, it’s been left middle-middle too often this year and the results have been ugly. Scherzer keeps insisting that he’s found the answer – after last start it was because he wasn’t lifting his leg high enough – but the pitch still ends up being a gopher ball.
It’s hard to believe that Scherzer has any trade value at all now. His final line was 6 IP, 5 ER and 4 HR. His ERA sits at 4.20, which might be good for the stoners but not good at all for the Mets.
Trevor Gott continued to disappoint as he allowed three runs while facing just four batters. And he allowed the fifth homer of the game, this one a two-run shot. Gott’s ERA as a Met is now 5.08. Maybe the team should have kept Chris Flexen and DFAd Gott, instead.
The Mets staged a rally in the ninth inning, with Pete Alonso delivering a one-out triple before being driven home by an RBI single by Francisco Alvarez. After a wild pitch and a … groundout to the second baseman by McNeil, Alvarez was on third. He came home on an RBI single by Mark Vientos.
It’s always fun to see things you haven’t seen before. Vientos went to second on a balk by Justin Garza. The Red Sox went to the pen to bring in their closer, who promptly dropped the ball, which was another balk, putting Vientos on third base. Baty delivered an RBI single to make it a two-run game.
Out of baby Mets, the rally fell short, as Vogelbach fouled out to the left fielder to end the game. If only Ronny Mauricio was here to extend the rally…
Gut Reaction for the two games:
Baty and Vientos had three hits.
Hartwig, a Baby Met, has been impressive and reliable.
The Baby Mets, Alvarez, Vientos and Baty, had RBI singles in the 9th inning. It’s time to turn over the season to them and promote Mauricio.
It is time to wear “little boys pants”.
Maybe Alonso has broken out of his slump. He had four hits.
Gott has got to go. It was an expensive, terrible trade. Muckenhirn was better and that’s not saying much.
Raley and Robertson are the glue in the bullpen.
Well, it looks like Pete had found his home run derby pitcher for next year’s all-star week.
I wonder how Uncle Steve feels paying Gott, Flexen, and the luxury tax for Gott’s production so far. He had performed at recent Drew Smith levels unfortunately.