Last Sunday, the Mets pitched a shutout and won 2-0. For a second it looked like they were going to win with an even higher degree of difficulty, as they took a 1-0 lead into the seventh inning. But the Reds tied it in the seventh and scored two more in the ninth. And since a Constitutional Amendment has been passed saying that the Mets are no longer allowed to score more than two runs on Sunday, they fell by the score of 3-1. It snapped their nine-game winning streak and put them back into a tie with the Braves for the third Wild Card spot.
In the seventh inning, the Reds got a runner on base on a bloop infield single that Pete Alonso strayed too far from the bag to field. He’s great at scooping balls in the dirt but here in his sixth season in the majors, he still doesn’t have a clue which balls he should run to the bag and let the second baseman field.
A wild pitch advanced the runner to second and a single tied the game at 1-1, knocking Luis Severino out of the game. He was replaced by Reed Garrett, who got the final out in the seventh inning and pitched a 1-2-3 eighth.
Phil Maton was called on to pitch the ninth inning and a HBP and an infield single put two runners on base. And then he surrendered a two-run double and the damage was done.
The Mets’ offense was MIA for the game, as they managed just four hits. They must have been hanging around with the football Giants. Their only run came on an RBI single by Starling Marte.
The Mets end their homestand with a 5-1 mark. Now they head to Toronto for a three-game set versus the Blue Jays. Paul Blackburn is scheduled to make his first start since he landed on the IL. It would be nice if he turned in another 6 IP, 1 ER performance. And it would be nice if the Mets got back to double-digit hits and a bushel of runs on offense.
It just gave the appearance that it was going to be difficult for the Mets all afternoon. Their offense looked sleepy, the Reds were getting cheap hits, and when a team is getting the cheapies, you know the real will come soon. Ironically, with Novell Marte on deck and second and third and one out in the ninth, I considered walking Espinal. But, oh well.
Time to wash it off and win nine of the next ten. The Blue Jays will be gracious hosts that just gave away a game to the Braves with their inability to figure out how to handle a sacrifice bunt situation, how not the throw the ball into right field in extra innings, and how to close a game that you lead in and the other team has no one left to hit.
Sunday, the day of rest for the Mets regardless. They play absent energy or any enthusiasm.Everything about their posture on Sunday games says “we dont care if we lose.”
Great run there for sure, but this was easily winnable and in September in a WC race giving away games you can win is never good, esp woth the Mets upcoming schedule.
You simply can’t win them all. Time to start a new streak. With 19 games to go, it seems they will need to go 13-6
to play in the post season. Fingers crossed.
Gut Reaction: the odds of the home team winning of game when leading 4-0 in the top of the ninth inning is 99.06% and the scored is tied 1-1 is 52.26. If it the score is still tied in the bottom of the ninth the odds are increased for the home team to 66.20%.
Diaz shouldn’t have been used in Saturday’s game.
Maton pitched poorly in Sunday’s game. Maton has pitched well for the Mets and should be used in high leverage situations. He didn’t get the job done Sunday. I would rather have had Diaz available and go with the odds.
Congratulations on the nine game winning streak . Let’s win the Toronto series !
I missed the game, but reading this gut reaction you wouldn’t have guessed that the Mets had won the 9 prior games before this one.
Should have been 10. These are the games a team comes to rue when there is little time left on the clock.
How about a 5 game winning streak!