Mets Series Review Bruises and Brewers
The Mets continued to win series and sustain injuries as they returned home from the West Coast and took two of three against the struggling Brewers. The Brewers had led the NL Central through the first two months but came into Citi Field in a tailspin losing nine of eleven as they dropped into second place. The Mets, meanwhile, went 5-5 on a brutal ten-game road trip, as the Braves continued to play the worst teams in baseball, extending their win streak to 13 games with many, many, many more easy games ahead of them.
The opener on Tuesday was as good as it gets for the Mets. A 4-0 win, in which Chris Bassitt had his best outing of the season. Bassitt had been terrible over the last month, struggling since James McCann went down. However, between his previous start against the Padres, where he was lambasted, Bassitt worked with Tomas Nido to get his rhythm back, while Mark Canha helped get him back into a winning mindset. Bassitt pitched eight innings, saving the Mets' bullpen for the night, striking out seven with just one walk.
The Mets came out swinging in the game, scoring three runs in the first inning off Adrian Houser. It started with a leadoff double by Brandon Nimmo as Pete Alonso drove in the first run with a single. Jeff McNeil followed with a double as Eduardo Escobar had a sac-fly to make it 3-0. Alonso added a second RBI in the fifth as the game was played in a swift two and half hours, with the Mets winning 4-0.
Wednesday night was everything that Tuesday night wasn't. It was a disaster as the Mets were blown out 10-2. Facing Milwaukee's best Corbin Burnes, New York needed a strong start from David Peterson; they did not get it. Peterson, who has dodged disaster despite lacking command in most of his starts, could not avoid a disaster this time as he was lit up, allowing four runs on six hits in four innings while hitting two batters and walking three.
The Mets had a chance to get back in the game despite Peterson's rough start as Jeff McNeil homered to cut the deficit to 3-1. However, after Peterson was removed, the walls crumbled as Jake Reed was terrible. Reed allowed five runs, plus allowing an inherited runner to score as the Brewers scored seven to blow the game open. The Brewers won the game 10-2 as Starling Marte suffered a wrist contusion when he was hit by a pitch.
The Mets did not have Starling Marte in the lineup on Thursday due to the wrist contusion. Then they lost Eduardo Escobar to mysterious circumstances as they looked to win the rubber game with Tylor Megill on the mound. Jeff McNeil gave the Mets the early lead on a two-out single in the first, as Megill was sharp in the first three innings, striking out five while allowing one hit that was quickly erased on a double play. Christian Yelich led off the fourth with a home run to tie the game, but trouble arrived as Megill began laboring. He soon singled the trainers and left with shoulder discomfort as Chasen Shreve allowed all three inherited runners to score, including a walk issued to Andrew McCutchen that counted against Megill after he left the game with a 2-1 count.
Down 4-1, the Mets got one run back as Tomas Nido had a two-out single that scored Jeff McNeil, just ahead of the throw to third that nailed Louis Guilorme to end the inning. The Mets would tie the game on a two-run home run in the fifth inning, as the Mets bullpen did not allow another run. After Shreve pitched the fifth, the Mets got two innings from Seth Lugo and one from Drew Smith.
With the score tied 4-4 in the eighth, the Mets took advantage of a pair of Brewers' miscues as they got the first two runners on after Rowdy Tellez threw the ball into left field, allowing J.D. Davis, who led off with a single to got to third with the go-ahead run. Starling Marte came into pinch run as Tomas Nido struck out. Nick Plummer followed and hit a grounder to first; instead of throwing home Tellez tried to start a double play and threw to second to force out Guillorme but could not get the double play as Marte scored to give the Mets a 5-4 lead.
Edwin Diaz came to the mound looking for the save and allowed a hit for the first time in six outings, as Hunter Renfroe had a two-out single to center. After striking out Jace Peterson, Edwin Diaz gave up a bloop double to Tyrone Taylor; Renfroe tried to score from first on the ball that plunked down the right-field line but was thrown out at home on a perfect relay from Plummer to Pete Alonso with Tomas Nido making the perfect tag. Perhaps, the Brewers thought it was Rowdy Tellez making the throw home. Diaz was given the option to walk Christian Yellick with Taylor standing at third as the tying run. Edwin Diaz said no, and struck out Yellich to end the 5-4 win.
The series was a good one for the Mets, but the questions about Marte's wrist and what happened to Escobar linger as they begin a four-game series with the Miami Marlins. Tylor Megill is likely to land on the IL again and could be out for a sustained period as shoulder discomfort and a rookie pitcher are never a good combination.