Mets blow late lead, will play winner-take-all game against Brewers Thursday
Phil Maton gave up a game-tying home run to Jackson Chourio and a go-ahead two-run home run to Garrett Mitchell in the eighth inning
What’s Up with the Mets? 🚩
The Mets blew a 3-2 eighth inning lead and lost to the Brewers 5-3 in game 2 of their National League Wild Card Series (box)
Sean Manaea started for the Mets and pitched well enough over five innings, navigating six hits while allowing two runs with four strikeouts
Reed Garrett and Ryne Stanek each contributed a scoreless inning out of the bullpen, but Phil Maton came in the eighth and immediately allowed a solo home run to Jackson Chourio - his second of the game - to tie the game at 3. Maton then allowed a two-run home run to Garrett Mitchell to give the Brewers a lead they would not relinquish
The Mets had their chances - they left nine runners on base and went 2-for-11 with runners in scoring position on the night. But after plating a run in the first and two runs in the second, they were unable to convert any of their subsequent opportunities with men on-base
The Mets had been 66-13 when leading after seven innings during the regular season
The club is now 53-41 all-time in postseason play
The Wild Card Series has gone to a third and deciding game twice - the Mets have been involved in both (2022 and 2024)
Injury Updates 🏥
RHP Paul Blackburn (spinal fluid leak) will miss the remainder of the year
GAME THREE
Match-up: Mets (1-1) vs. Brewers (1-1)
Where: American Family Field — Milwaukee, WI
Starters: LHP Jose Quintana vs. RHP Tobias Myers
When: 7:08 PM EDT
Where to Watch: ESPN
Moment of the Game 🙈
In the bottom of the eighth inning with the Mets leading the Brewers 3-2 in Game 2 of the National League Wild Card Series, Jackson Chourio slugged his second solo home run of the game off of Phil Maton to tie the game at 3-3.
Maton would proceed to allow a back-breaking two-run home run to Garrett Mitchell to put the game away for the Brewers and force a Game 3, winner-take-all on Thursday in Milwaukee.
Who’s Hot 🔥
Mets pitching has issued just two walks in the first two games of the Wild Card Series
Mark Vientos is 3-for-7 with two RBI and two runs scored in the Wild Card Series
The three problems which crippled the Mets on Wednesday… ✍️
It wasn’t Phil Maton’s or Mets manager Carlos Mendoza’s best day on the ball field on Wednesday.
Nor was it the best day for the Mets offense for that matter.
But the problem wasn’t Maton picking a bad day to have a bad day as much as it was the decision making before and after which led to Maton’s ill-fated cutter to Jackson Chourio which didn’t cut and his ill-fated breaking ball to Garrett Mitchell which didn’t break.
Of course, if Maton executes and does his job, we might not be talking about this right now, but there were two things which led to this unfortunate culmination.
Actually, three.
First, the Mets left a small army on-base after the second inning. They had Frankie Montas and the Brewers bullpen on the ropes multiple times after that, but in the end they went 2-for-11 with runners in scoring position and stranded nine runners on base.
That is not a formula which works in the postseason, especially on the road. They kept the Brewers hanging around, they kept the Brewers crowd into it, two things they did not do on Tuesday which helped them win the ballgame.
Now, to the Brewers credit, they did pitch very well after Pat Murphy removed Montas. That’s what they do - their bullpen is among the best in the sport, it’s a large reason why they’re here to begin with (aside from the rest of the National League Central not really competing with them in 2024), so it’s not entirely surprising they became very stingy with runners on.
And the good news for the Mets on this front is, the Brewers have used a lot of bullpen in the first two games of this series, whereas the Mets have nursed their bullpen to a large extent for a Game 3, which unfortunately became a reality after Carlos Mendoza’s big mistake.
And no, the mistake wasn’t necessarily using Maton in the eighth. He has been great for the Mets, great in high leverage situations since they got him. He just didn’t have it, hung a cutter in the middle of the plate and paid the price.
In retrospect, the mistake was broken down into two parts, before and after Chourio’s eighth inning homer.
Sean Manaea wasn’t at his best on Wednesday. But neither was Luis Severino on Tuesday yet Mendoza trusted Severino to give them that extra inning in the sixth, which proved to be huge for the club just so they could rest their bullpen a little more.
But Manaea was far more effective on Wednesday than Severino was on Tuesday, had 86 pitches under his belt and at least should have been out there to start the sixth. Instead, Mendoza went to Reed Garrett for the sixth, Ryne Stanek for the seventh, and then Maton for the eighth.
Perhaps if Mendoza could get at least another out or two in the sixth from Manaea, if not a complete frame, it pushes the bullpen plan up and gives Mendoza a better swing-and-miss option for the eighth, something any club needs with a lead in that inning of a playoff game.
As good as Maton is, he really isn’t a swing-and-miss arm. Stanek is, however.
Now, a lot of this could’ve been because Mendoza couldn’t get more than three outs from Edwin Díaz on Wednesday as a result of needing him for 60 pitches Sunday and Monday, and as expected, David Peterson was not available out of the bullpen, either.
But that gives Mendoza all the more reason to trust his ace starter to give him that sixth inning, which would’ve changed the playbook and given Mendoza more tools in the shed later.
The second mistake from Mendoza was leaving Maton in after the third batter in the eighth. It was painfully obvious Maton didn’t have it, especially with his breaking pitches. There was just no reason for him to be out there at that point and that’s all there is to it.
This is not a game in June when they just need an inning from a guy or they want to see how a pitcher reacts to adversity. There’s no time for that. The team cannot function differently than what got them there and expect to win.
These are the playoffs where one bad decision can end a season for a team. We live in a world of small sample sizes, and that small sample in this case could have and should have simply been the quality one pitch which should unquestionably have been a determining factor.
Just look at how the Brewers operated on Tuesday. They navigated away from what makes them good, and they paid the price too.
It’s a growing pain of sort for Mendoza, perhaps the same way Tuesday’s decision making will serve as a growing pain for Brewers Manager Pat Murphy.
So, the Mets once again find themselves in a situation today where they have been knocked down, pretty hard at that, and have to rise to the occasion once again. They had a sweep in their hands, but didn’t seize the moment due to untimely hitting, poor pitching and some questionable decision making.
But, it’s ok. They have today.
Yes, a sweep would’ve been nice, and yes, the momentum has shifted in the Brewers favor. Nobody can deny that. They’re the home team in this series and in theory anyway, this is where being the higher seed is beneficial.
But the pressure remains on the Brewers. The Mets are still playing with house money.
They just can’t let off the gas the way they seem to have after the second inning on Wednesday. What has made the Mets so successful as of late is their aggressiveness, their ability to force the issue and create runs, letting their more athletic players get into scoring position and creating opportunities, and that strategy got away from them after the second, instead becoming more of a base-to-base offense which required three hits for every run scored.
That’s not what the Mets are right now and need to be if they intend to play at Citizens Bank Park on Saturday.
The intangible of this team is within their culture and that glue has kept their ship afloat even in the most dire of times throughout the course of the season. They’re a resilient bunch, they always seem to prove the haters and the cynics wrong.
Just when you think they’ve driven their team bus to Panic City, they always get off at the next exit.
They need to stay together and keep it together one more time if they intend to create the opportunity to play beyond tonight.
Whatever it takes, all hands on deck right now.
The Championship Chase 🏆
The Tigers finished off a sweep of the Astros thanks to a four-run eighth inning to win 5-2 at Minute Maid Park
The Royals edged the Orioles again 2-1 to sweep their series against Baltimore - Kansas City allowed just two runs in the two games in Baltimore
A five-run second inning was all the Padres needed to finish their sweep of the Braves - they held them off 5-4 to send Atlanta home for the winter
Maton was obviously not very good, but the Mets left a lot of ducks on the pond in scoring position all night long.
I respect his judgment regarding Manaea, who is looking more human of late. The handling of Maton was more questionable. Was no one warming up? Was there basically no fallback option?
I no longer personally feel the Mets are playing with "house money." They had the best record in baseball for months. They clinched the playoffs in wonderful fashion. The Braves have been eliminated. They were six outs away -- maybe more like three if we can rely on Diaz.
Losing now will be quite annoying. Also, I would not be surprised if they were feeling the pressure. Except for Alonso, maybe. That guy never wants to admit that.
My question would be if they will use Peterson, if necessary, today. Q. very well might go 4 or so (like last time). If so, they need a two-inning bridge.