0-65

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A Manny Machado grand slam and a Juan Soto batted ball that barely went foul made all the difference as the Padres defeated the Mets 7-4. 

The Padres got on the board early on against David Peterson. In the first, Fernando Tatis Jr. singled. Peterson then walked Luis Arraez. A Gavin Sheets sacrifice fly to center brought Tatis Jr. in. 

In the bottom half of the frame, Pete Alonso went yard off of Nick Pivetta to tie the game at one. It was the Polar Bear’s third consecutive game where he hit a home run. The Padres took the lead right back in the second off of some weak contact. Jackson Merrill singled, then reached second on a Jose Iglesias ground out. Jake Cronenworth singled Merrill in to make it 2-1 San Diego. With one out in the bottom of the fourth, DH Starling Marte homered to left to tie the game again.

The fifth inning was when it all fell apart for the Mets and David Peterson. The inning began with Peterson plunking Jake Cronenworth in the back. Elias Díaz sacrifice bunted Cronenworth to second. Tatis Jr. walked. Luis Arraez bunted for a base hit to load the bases. Peterson threw a 3-2 curveball low in the zone, and Machado reached out and slammed it. 6-2 Friars.

Juan Soto hit a line drive dinger in the bottom of the fifth to put the Mets within three. It was Soto’s 41st homer of the season, tying a career high. 

Dom Hamel entered the game for the Mets in the top of the sixth. He became the 46th different pitcher the Mets have used this season, breaking a MLB record. With two outs and runners on first and second, Arraez laced a base hit to right, but he got thrown out trying to stretch the single into a double thanks to a nice throw by Soto to Lindor at second. Inexplicably, Machado told Elias Díaz to slow down as he reached home plate, leading Díaz to not touch home until after Arraez was tagged out. It felt like a huge mental blunder that would give the Mets all of the momentum the rest of the game. 

Francisco Alvarez and his eight good fingers just barely homered to right center to start the seventh inning to make it a 6-4 game. With a runner on first and one out, mean old Padres manager Mike Shildt brought in Mason Miller to get five outs. Juan Soto juuuuuuust missed a home run down the left field line when he was late on a 102 mph pitch. He struck out looking at a slider instead. Alonso struck out too to end the inning. Miller Time got the Mets 1-2-3 in the eighth. 

After Gregory Soto and Ryan Helsley pitched scoreless seventh and eighth innings respectively, Ryne Stanek served up a solo home run to Ramón Laureano in the ninth to give the Pads an insurance run and give them a three-run lead again. 

Against Padres closer Robert Suarez in the bottom of the ninth, Brett Baty hit a ball 109 mph just past Machado for a single. Alvarez and pinch hitter Mark Vientos both grounded out, but Lindor worked out a walk to put Soto up as the game-tying run. On a 2-2 change-up, Soto hit the ball 100 mph right at Suarez, who managed to keep his composure, pick up the ball that dropped from his glove, and throw Soto out at first to end the ballgame.

The Mets are now 0-65 when trailing after eight innings. No other team in baseball this season hasn’t had that kind of comeback. Maybe the Mets are saving it for a big occasion, but time is running out - there are 10 games left. 

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The Diamondbacks had golden opportunities to win in both the bottom of the ninth and tenth and didn’t take advantage. The Giants ended up beating them 5-1 in 11 innings. The Reds handled the Cardinals - it seems like it’s over for St. Louis. 

The Mets have the tiebreaker over the Giants (and Cardinals), but not over the Reds. The Diamondbacks also have the tiebreaker over the Mets because their record against the NL West (25-21) is better than New York’s record against the NL East (23-23). 

That Machado grand slam was the first time Peterson had ever given up a grand salami in his career. Since August 1st, the tall drink of water has a 6.99 ERA. Get ready to learn how to piggyback, buddy. 

Ron Darling on the SNY broadcast revealed that during the recent eight-game losing streak, Carlos Mendoza got a FaceTime call from Reggie Jackson (the two know each other from Mendy’s days in the Yankee organization.) Jackson reminded Mendoza to be grateful. A cousin of Billie Jean King’s “Pressure is a privilege” basically. This factoid was uttered moments after Steve Gelbs reported that Mendoza told the team not to be timid and if you’re going to go down to go down swinging. Yes. Yessssssss. 

Both Darling and Gary Cohen questioned Mendoza pinch hitting Cedric Mullins for Mark Vientos in the bottom of the ninth. Vientos was 0 for his last 10 and Mullins hit a change-up for a homer the night before, and Padres pitcher Robert Suarez’s best pitch is the change. Swaggy V ended up hitting a soft grounder to Manny Machado, who predictably made a nice play to throw Vientos out. 

Starling Marte’s homer was his first at home since May 30th.

After one (1) rehab start, Luis Torrens was activated off the IL. Hayden Senger was shipped off back to Triple-A Syracuse.

For what it’s worth, Pedro Martinez tweeted that he thinks the Mets will regain their 2024 magic.

Cameras caught Nolan McLean and Brandon Sproat making fun of Jonah Tong’s beatific smile. Knuckleheads.

C Chris Suero, OF Carson Benge, and 3B Jacob Reimer were named to the 2025 South Atlantic League All-Star Team.

Darryl Strawberry kibbitzed with Jay Horwitz about the late Davey Johnson.

Old chum Jose Iglesias was asked if the Mets were missing something or someone in the clubhouse. Instead of saying, “Uh, you’re looking at him”, Candelita said, “They’re missing a few presences, not just me. I think J.D. [Martinez] and … [Jose] Quintana and all those guys. Everybody along the team over there, we did a pretty good job last year connecting and supporting each other in good and bad moments.” J.D. Martinez hasn’t played this year. Jose Quintana is 11-7 with a 3.96 ERA for the Brewers this season, but he was just placed on the injured list due to a calf strain.

Two proposed Manhattan casinos were voted down by local advisory committees yesterday, which means only six potential projects remain in the running for up to three downstate gaming licenses. One of those potential projects is Steve Cohen’s $8 billion Metropolitan Park, which would be situated in what is now the Citi Field parking lot. On Tuesday, the final Queens public hearing on Metropolitan Park ended “abruptly”, even though at least 50 people against the project were waiting to speak.

Mike Vaccaro at the New York Post wrote a fun and revealing article about how the 1999 Mets overcame a losing streak late in the season to make a deep run in the playoffs. The kicker? Edgardo Alfonzo is a Met fan sweating this season out. “I don’t know why they always do this to us,” he was quoted as saying. 

The Triple-A Syracuse Mets (75-71) edged the Lehigh Valley IronPigs (Phillies affiliate) 4-3. SS Yonny Hernández went 3 for 4 with a double. CF Carson Benge homered. Austin Warren got the win for throwing two shutout innings.

The Double-A Binghamton Rumble Ponies and Somerset Patriots (Yankees) will play Game 2 of their best-of-three division series tonight in Binghamton. The Rumble Ponies won Game 1 on Tuesday night.

19 years ago tonight, the Mets clinched the NL East title. 

This afternoon, the Mets and Padres will play the rubber match of their three-game series. RHP Randy Vásquez (5-6, 3.72 ERA) will chuck the ball for San Diego. RHP Jonah Tong (1-2, 8.49 ERA) will get the nod for New York (NL). First pitch is scheduled for 1:10 pm eastern. The game will air on SNY and out of market on MLB Network.