A questionable decision led to a typical loss for the Mets
Another bullpen implosion and lack of offense doom the Mets again. Plus, David Wright will have his No. 5 jersey retired today...
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What’s up with the Mets? ⚾️
The Mets came out flat in the second half, losing 8-4 to the Reds at Citi Field on Friday night (box)
LHP Sean Manaea - making his first start at Citi Field since 2024 - allowed just one earned run on one hit and two walks with six strikeouts over four innings
The bullpen imploded again with RHP Alex Carrillo getting shelled, allowing five earned runs and three homers on three hits and two walks over just 1.1 innings
LHP Brandon Waddell pitched the final 3.2 innings, giving up two earned runs and two homers on four hits and three walks
RF Juan Soto had given his team the lead with a solo home run in the first inning - his 24th of the year, and a league-leading 16th since May 31
SS Francisco Lindor went 0-for-5 on yet another frustrating night for the offense
David Wright! 5️⃣
Mets icon David Wright will have his No. 5 jersey retired during a special pregame ceremony at Citi Field on Saturday - it will air live on SNY
Wright will also be inducted into the Mets Hall of Fame on Saturday
The Mets will be holding a block party at Citi Field to celebrate this momentous occasion, which is open to all. It will begin three hours before today’s 4:10 PM EDT start time
Wright will become the seventh former Met to have his jersey retired, joining Tom Seaver (No. 41), Mike Piazza (No. 31), Jerry Koosman (No. 36), Keith Hernandez (No. 17), Willie Mays (No. 24), Dwight Gooden (No. 16), and Darryl Strawberry (No. 18)
The Captain was a former No. 38 overall pick in the draft who went on to become the face and the beating heartbeat of the Mets. He won two Silver Sluggers, two Gold Gloves and was a seven-time All-Star
Wright bravely battled through spinal stenosis to help the Mets reach the World Series in 2015, becoming a key contributor and hitting a huge two-run homer in Game 3 against the Royals
In totality, Wright played his entire career with the Mets and finished hitting .296/.376/.491/.867 with 242 home runs, 970 RBIs, 390 doubles, 26 triples, 196 stolen bases, and 762 walks
Wright also earned the nickname “Captain America” for his heroics for the United States at the World Baseball Classic
On the day of his jersey retirement, Wright will go down as one of the most iconic players in Mets history. His commitment, dedication, leadership, excellence at third base, and willingness to give everything he had to the team and to the jersey will live on in franchise lore forever
Roster Moves 📰
LHP Brooks Raley returned from rehab assignment and reinstated from 60-Day Injured List
LHP Richard Lovelady designated for assignment
RHP Paul Blackburn placed on rehab assignment with the FCL Club
RHP José Buttó’s rehab assignment transferred to Triple-A Syracuse
Injury Updates 🏥
RHP Max Kranick (elbow strain) will undergo Tommy John surgery for the second time in his career
OF Jesse Winker (lower back tightness) received an epidural on Friday and will need more time with his back not responding as the team had hoped. He will be shut down for another seven to 10 days
DH Starling Marte (right knee soreness) is ramping up and progressing, and could be back in three to five days
CF Jose Siri (fractured tibia) has not resumed running or baseball activities, and it could be another couple of weeks before he is able to start
RHP José Buttó (illness) didn’t allow a run on two hits and no walks while striking out one over one inning in his rehab assignment for Triple-A Syracuse on Friday
Rumor Mill 💨
The Mets are showing an interest in Twins left-handed reliever Danny Coulombe (NY Post)
Play of the Game 🌟
Sean Manaea was - questionably - removed from the game after a stellar four innings and with the Mets leading 2-1.
The inexperienced Alex Carrillo entered the game and immediately ran into trouble. In the top of the fifth, with a runner on and two outs, Carrillo gave up a two-run home run to Matt McLain to give the Reds a 3-2 lead.
That was the start of the implosion.
Carrillo left the game in the sixth having allowed five earned runs and three homers, all but sealing a tough loss for his team.
McLain’s home run started the bleeding, and it never stopped from there.
Down on the Farm 🌾
C Francisco Álvarez (Triple-A): 1-for-4, 1 R, 2 RBI, 427 foot home run
RHP Jonah Tong (No. 2 prospect, Double-A): 5.1 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 7 K
SS Jett Williams (No. 1 prospect, Double-A): 2-for-4, 3 R, 1 BB, 1 2B, 1 SB
RHP Brendan Girton (High-A): 4.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 9 K
3B A.J. Ewing (No. 26 prospect, High-A): 3-for-4, 1 R, 1 2B
BOX SCORES
Single-A STL | High-A BRK | Double-A BNG | Triple-A SYR (SUS)
Today’s Game 🗓️
Match-up: Mets (55-43) vs. Reds (51-47)
Where: Citi Field - Flushing, NY
Starters: RHP Clay Holmes (8-4, 3.31 ERA) vs. RHP Nick Martinez (7-9, 4.78 ERA)
When: 4:10 PM EDT
Where to Watch: SNY | MLBN (out-of-market-only)
When are the training wheels coming off? ✍️
For those hoping to see a rested, recharged Mets team come out swinging to start the second half of the season on Friday, you were left severely disappointed.
Instead, what we witnessed was a continuation of the same old flaws that have plagued this team for much of 2025.
And, while we shouldn’t overreact to just one game after the break, we’ve now seen these same old warts too many times.
An inconsistent offense. Stars going missing. Protecting starters and relying too much on the bullpen. The manager leaving a reliever in way too long and then taking him out after the damage is already done.
At some point, it is up to this group to take some accountability and fix the flaws that will hold them back in October. They can’t just wait and hope the Trade Deadline will save them.
Furthermore, effectively punting on the first game back after the break by relying on a reliever who clearly doesn’t have it does not send a positive message to the fans.
Mets fans have a right to be pissed today after what we all saw last night.
It all started so well too.
Juan Soto - who is arguably the only consistent thing about this streaky offense right now - blasted his 24th home run of the year to give the Mets an early lead in the bottom of the first. It was also Soto’s 16th home run since May 31 - which leads the National League.
That came hot on the heels of Sean Manaea’s triumphant return to Queens. The ace of the 2024 rotation was making his first start at Citi Fields since last year’s playoffs. It couldn’t have started any better with the lefty striking out the side in the first inning. He kept that energy going, holding the Reds to just one hit over the first three innings of the game. Manaea’s only mistake was giving up a solo home run to Austin Hays in the top of the fourth.
However, that’s when the wheels fell off.
Manaea was removed from the game after throwing 69 pitches. Now, I totally understand that the lefty isn’t completely stretched out yet, having just returned from injury. But, with that said, he has had nearly a week to rest. And, if you go by the eye test, Manaea didn’t look like he was laboring out there. The fact that he’s struck out 13 batters in 7.1 innings since coming off the IL shows that he’s been efficient, and I’m sure he had something left in the tank on Friday.
Mets manager Carlos Mendoza defended his decision to pull Manaea, explaining that the starter is on a pitch count. But, when you look at the numbers, Manaea threw 65 pitches in his first start of the season before the All-Star break, and 69 on Friday. That’s hardly a great increase. Furthermore, he tossed 73 pitches in his final rehab start for Triple-A Syracuse on July 8.
I’m sorry, but I’m not buying what Mendoza is selling us.
Manaea could have pitched at least one more inning. You can’t keep over-protecting starters. At some point, you have to remove the training wheels and let them go out there and do their thing.
The front office and management can’t also keep expecting the bullpen to carry the majority of the workload the rest of the way. It will blow up in their faces in September and October.
Now, even if you agree that Manaea should be on a hard pitch count, there is no defending Mendoza’s next move.
Keeping Alex Carrillo in the game was just not a smart move. He got absolutely torched, and a 2-1 lead quickly became a 6-2 deficit. By the time Mendoza finally opted to end Carrillo’s misery, the game was all but over. Brandon Waddell then came in to pitch the final 3.2 innings of the game, with the two relievers combining to allow seven earned runs. Waddell did what was asked of him by pitching the rest of the game, but Mendoza needs to wear this loss for his more than questionable decision to keep Carrillo in the game.
I mean, bringing in a guy who had never pitched in the big leagues until this year to protect a lead was a head-scratcher, but then doubling down and keeping him in for the sixth was just perplexing. Especially given his struggles right from the jump. And, given that we’ve just had the All-Star break, would Mendoza not have had a fresh bullpen of relievers to pick from that would have been better suited to come in and protect a 2-1 lead?
Of course, last night’s loss isn’t all on Mendoza and the pitching.
The offense was not great yet again. Outside of Soto’s home run and RBI singles from Jeff McNeil and Luis Torrens, the lineup couldn’t really get anything going against Reds starter Nick Lodolo. New York had just three baserunners entering the ninth. There was a rally in the ninth but it was too little too late. Francisco Lindor, mired in another cold spell, popped out as the tying run at the plate to end a miserable 0-for-5 night.
The Mets also went 3-for-5 with runners in scoring position, leaving six runners stranded on base.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again - the offense was meant to be the strength of this team. At some point, the lineup has to live up to its potential and carry this team. Players like Lindor also can’t afford to go into slumps in the second half of the year. Now is the time for the stars to play like stars, and other individuals to step up and contribute in a big way.
Because even if the Mets do have a strong Trade Deadline, that won’t fix all of this team’s flaws. The lineup needs to be a lot better, and one or two new relievers won’t change a thing unless starters can start going deep into games.
Again, Friday’s loss was just one game. But it was hardly an ideal start to the second half, and it didn’t exactly set the right tone for the remainder of the regular season.
Around the League 🚩
OF Kyle Stowers hit two home runs, including a two-run walk-off blast, as the Marlins beat the Royals, 8-7
RHP Quinn Priester was dominant on the mound, striking out 10 to help lead the Brewers to a shutout win over the Dodgers - Milwaukee’s eighth in a row
Braves OF Ronald Acuña Jr. made an all-time throw to third base to turn two, and also hit a double and a triple, in a 7-3 win over the Yankees
DH Seiya Suzuki hit a three-run bomb in a 4-1 win as the Cubs snapped Boston’s 10-game winning streak
The Blue Jays stayed hot, beating the Giants 4-0, with RHP Chris Bassitt throwing 6.1 scoreless innings with five strikeouts
Manaea threw 70 pitches. He threw 65 pitches in his first outing. They activated him before they could stretch him out. Nothing surprising or questionable about removing him when they did. What is questionable is if they know he was only gonna go 4 innings, why choose him to out of everyone knowing they’d have to go to the bullpen early in the first game of a series AND follow up with Clay Holmes who rarely gets past 5 innings.
I don't know how, I haven't got the answer, but they have to find a way to get some traffic on the bases ahead of Soto ... and Pete when he warms up again. Yesterday's .326 and .275 OBP isn't going to cut it, especially since the lower half of the lineup is not contributing much. They're missing the old Brandon Nimmo.