Edwin Diaz couldn’t hold a two-run lead in the ninth inning and the Mets couldn’t score in either the ninth or 10th, which led to a 5-4 loss to the Phillies Monday night.
As Gus said in the Game Chatter, this might have been the most disappointing loss of the year. How disappointing was it? Let us count the ways:
1. It wasted a 6 IP, 1 ER outing for Sean Manaea
2. Wasted a two-hit night for Pete Alonso and a three-hit game for J.D. Martinez
3. It made a five-out, 11-pitch outing for Adam Ottavino go for naught.
4. We had to watch Brett Baty, Harrison Bader and Jeff McNeil go a combined 1-11 with 6 Ks.
5. Witnessed the nearly useless Joey Wendle fail to get down a sac bunt.
6. On a night where the Phillies were missing several stars, Bryce Harper, Nick Castellanos and Kyle Schwarber went 1-10 and they still scored five runs.
7. Diaz pitching for the second night in a row, gave up a homer and hit a batter with the bases loaded.
8. The Mets went 3-16 with RISP and went without a hit the last 11 times.
It’s hard to be happy about either Baty or Wendle being on the team right now.
A wasted opportunity to step up and play better. This team can’t buy a timely hit. It was game we had won with the premier closer on the mound and a two run lead. It was so disappointing I might rewatch the Pacers blowout of the Knicks just to feel bettter. On to tomorrow with our underachieving team.
Pretty direct Gut Punch Reaction. Maybe it’s time Taylor played more? Bader has been playing more ever since the super sensitive Mets read his comments in the newspaper. Shame on him and shame on them.
Baty isn’t really to blame, but McNeil needs to be sat a bit and let Inglesias get some starts – when Stearns decides it’s time to cut Wendle who is a Danny Muno clone if I ever saw one.
I think the best Mets lineup right now has Stewart in LF and Nimmo in CF. Taylor can rotate in. The entire bottom of the order stinks. At least by playing the Stewart, the bottom of the order is delayed by one batter. Y’all remember when Tommy Pham said that Alonso, Lindor and Nimmo work hard but the rest of the team is lazy? I know you do…. I don’t think McNeil gives a damn about improving.
The nine consecutive strikes with the bases loaded at 3-1 for my two cents was the most disappointing moment in the game. Sure, they found themselves up 4-2 in the ninth, but that lost opportunity came back to haunt them…if the offense was even barely capable in that spot, Diaz might well have had a day of rest along with a W. Yeah, the good vibes from Nimmo are gone just like that. Right now they are the definition of mediocrity.
Mediocrity? I don’t think a 74-78 win team is mediocre.
From the Cambridge Dictionary – Mediocre means not good in quality, such as acting, food, or performance.
Seems like the textbook definition to me.