One Run = No Fun

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In a long Sunday afternoon affair, the Mets left 14 runners on base and went 2 for 16 with RISP and ultimately lost 5-4 to the Phillies. A Kyle Schwarber two-run homer in the seventh turned out to be the backbreaker.

Cionel Pérez threw a 1-2-3 first inning on nine pitches, all for strikes. He was only the opener though. TOBIAS! Myers took over in the second. Myers’ first 12 pitches were strikes - granted one of them was an Alec Bohm opposite field hit, but still, impressive job by Pérez and Myers. A two-out Bryson Stott single moved Bohm into scoring position before Derek Hill grounded out to third to end that threat.

The top of the third was a different story, to the point where Howie Rose on the radio said he thought the Phillies “had something” on Myers. Trea Turner singled with one out. Schwarber did the same. Turner and Schwarber pulled off a double steal without a throw on the very first pitch Myers threw to Bryce Harper. Harper lofted a fly to deep center to score Turner. Bohm doubled down the left field line, scoring Schwarber to put the Phils up 2-0. Brandon Marsh’s pulled single scored Bohm. Myers retired the next four batters to bridge the gap to Kodai Senga time in the fifth.

The crafty southpaw Jesus Luzardo handed the Mets just fine in the first three innings. He walked Juan Soto and permitted a Bo Bichette base knock to start the fourth. Then Eric Wagaman, Francisco Alvarez, and Mark Vientos all struck out. Cue the boos. 

The Mets got on the board in the bottom of the fifth. Tyrone Taylor got his second hit of the day, a single, to start. Brett Baty drew his first of three walks on the afternoon. A Luis Torrens slow ground out moved the runners to second and third with one out. Carson Benge came through against a lefty once again, singling to left to score Taylor. But after a Soto walk loaded the bases, Bichette struck out chasing a fastball, and Wagaman lined out to center.

Senga got himself into trouble in the top of the sixth when he walked Bohm and permitted a Marsh double. With runners on second and third and nobody out, the Master of Extrication lived up to his (once upon a time) nickname. Senga fanned Realmuto on a forkball, Stott grounded out to second, and Derek Hill also fell victim swinging at a ghost fork. 

Facing the righty Chase Shugart to start the bottom of the sixth, Alvy hit a ringing double to right. One batter later, pinch hitter A.J. Ewing clubbed a two-run homer that was even out of Derek Hill’s reach in right center. Tie game. After Baty walked and Torrens singled to move Baty to third, Phillies skipper Don Mattingly brought in another lefty, Kyle Bachkus. Benge of course was undeterred. He got Baty home when he hit a liner that nicked off of Bachkus’ glove into no man’s land. Just like that it was a 4-3 Mets lead. A Soto single moved Benge 90 feet into scoring position, but Bichette flew out to center to end the frame.

The lead would not last long. After a Justin Crawford single and a Trea Turner foul out, Schwarber took a 1-2 offering and deposited it over the center field fence to flip the scoreboard. To Senga’s credit, he retired eight of the next nine batters he faced. Ultimately, he only allowed those two Schwarber runs over five innings of work, which isn’t too bad. I still wouldn’t put him back in the rotation just yet though.

The Mets had a mini-two out rally sitting in the alley in the bottom of the seventh. Jose Alvarado hit Jacob Young with a pitch, and then, when Ewing hit a grounder in his general vicinity, Alvarado threw the ball into right field, putting Young at third and Ewing at second. Alas, Baty tapped it right back to the pitcher for the third out.

Orion Kerkering walked three of the first four Mets he faced in the bottom of the eighth. Ronny Mauricio came up to bat with the bases drunk. It was then when we all realized Francisco Lindor was completely unavailable, otherwise he would have pinch hit there. Instead, on a 1-0 pitch, Mauricio popped it up to the second baseman for the second out. SNY analyst Todd Zeile after the game admonished Mauricio for not taking a strike when Kerkering was having trouble finding the strike zone. Fair point. And then Alvy of course tried to play hero and chased a high fastball he wanted to crush 600 feet for the third out. 

The bottom of the ninth was anticlimactic. Jhoan Duran got the first two outs before inexplicably walking Baty. Torrens gave it a ride to right field, but it was easily caught by Hill. The Phillies, who are the best in the National League in one-run games, defeated the Mets, who are the worst in the NL in one-run contests (7-15). It’s the difference between a team that knows how to win and a team that knows how to lose. 

Why was Senga on the mound in the seventh with a one-run lead? Because Huascar Brazobán (pitched two days in a row), Luke Weaver, and Devin Williams (three of the last four days) were all unavailable. Andy Green was saving Austin Warren and Brooks Raley for the eighth and ninth respectively, one assumes.

Jorge Polanco (Achilles bursitis) said his return to a rehab assignment on Saturday night went well and spoke rather positively. He claimed he has a better recovery plan now than he did before and feels strong. I want to believe!

Clay Holmes (broken leg) said “everything checked out” when he got an X-ray last week. Holmes threw on flat ground yesterday and said he won’t need a full spring training ramp-up before declining to say when he thinks he’ll be back. It would be cool if Holmes returned before August 3rd and pitched well. That would up his trade value.

Steve Cohen said on Twitter he’ll be speaking “soon” about the state of the team. Ruh roh. This came after Cohen logged on to say the person who brought the “Fire Stearns” sign was being disruptive, and that’s the only reason why he was tossed from Friday night’s game. People disputed this, because it’s Twitter. Then, when someone made an anti-semetic remark (Twitter), the Mets majority owner quipped, “Thanks for reminding me why I shouldn’t tweet.” Come to Bluesky, Steve. 

The Triple-A Syracuse Mets edged the Lehigh Valley IronPigs (Phillies affiliate) 5-4. 3B Yonny Hernández had yet another multi-hit day. RHP Jack Wenninger got a no-decision. He permitted three earned runs on four hits in five innings. Wenninger walked three and punched out four IronPigs. RHP Ryan “The Eggman” Lambert was the winning pitcher. He didn’t allow an earned run in his inning of work, walking and striking out a batter. LHP Nate Lavender got the two-inning save. He gave up zero runs and just one hit while walking one and fanning two.

The Double-A Binghamton Rumble Ponies were walked off by the Erie SeaWolves (Tigers) 6-5 in 10 innings. C Chris Suero went 2 for 3 with two doubles, four runs scored, two walks, and his 20th stolen base of the year. 3B Nick Lorusso had a 2 for 4 night with a double, three RBI, and a walk. RHP Bryce Conley got a no-decision after he gave up five runs on seven hits in six innings, walking one and striking out five. 

The High-A Brooklyn Cyclones beat the Jersey Shore BlueClaws (Phillies) 5-1. C Ronald Hernandez and RF Yohairo Cuevas both went yard. Cuevas also stole a bag. SS Mitch Voit continued his hot streak, going 2 for 3 with a walk. LHP Nicolas Carreno threw four shutout innings, allowing two hits, walking four, and striking out one. 

The Low-A St. Lucie Mets scored two runs in the ninth but fell short to the Fort Myers Mighty Mussels (Twins) 6-5. This despite C Chase Meggers going 3 for 4 with two doubles, a run scored, and an RBI. LF Branny De Oleo went 2 for 4 with a double, a run scored, and an RBI. RHP Dedniel Nuñez (Tommy John) allowed one earned run on two hits in his inning, walking none and fanning two in the process. 

Brooks Raley turns 38 today.

On this day in 2012, R.A. Dickey struck out 10 Dodgers over eight scoreless innings. He improved to 12-1 with a 2.15 ERA on the season. Dickey closed out June going 5-0 with a 0.93 ERA and an opponent slash line of .131/.181/.169.

Tonight the Mets go north of the border for some more punishment I mean baseball. LHP Sean Manaea (1-2 4.87 ERA 3.99 xFIP) will chuck the pill for New York (NL), while RHP Trey Yesavage (3-3 3.56 ERA 4.65 xFIP) will toe the slab for the Toronto Blue Jays. First pitch is scheduled for 7:07 pm eastern. The game will air on SNY and Audacy Radio 880 AM.