Mets lose third straight, drop series to SF as bats have gone dead
The Mets have scored just three runs in their last three games during their three-game losing streak
What’s Up with the Mets? ⚾️
The Mets dropped their third straight game after losing the second game of their series to the Giants by a score of 5-1 (box)
Luis Severino started for the Mets, retired the first 12 but then allowed three runs in the fifth - he went on to produce a quality start for the Mets over six innings
Starling Marte, Jeff McNeil and Pete Alonso each produced multi-hit efforts, but the Mets went 1-for-7 with runners in scoring position and left eight runners on-base
Drew Smith allowed two runs in relief of Severino, which put the game out of reach for the Mets
Roster Moves 🗞️
Activated RHP Max Kranick (hamstring) from the 15-day injured list, optioned him to Triple-A Syracuse
Injury Updates 🏥
C Francisco Álvarez underwent surgery in Los Angeles to repair the UCL in his thumb. The typical return-to-play time line for such injuries is eight weeks
Down on the Farm 🌾
DH JD Martínez (Triple-A Syracuse): 1-for-4, RBI
RHP Christian Scott (Triple-A Syracuse): 6.1 IP, 1 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 8 K
OF Brandon Mcllwain (Double-A Binghamton): 2-for-4, 2B, R
1B Christopher Suero (Single-A St. Lucie): 2-for-4, 2B, 4 RBI
RHP Jack Wenninger (Single-A St. Lucie): 6 IP, 1 H, 10 K
1B Nick Loruso (Single-A Brooklyn): 3-for-4, 3B, R, 3 RBI
RHP Nolan McLean (Single-A Brooklyn): 5 IP, 2 H, BB, 6 K
Today’s Game 🗓
Match-up: Mets (12-11) at Giants (12-13)
Where: Oracle Park - San Francisco, CA
Starters: LHP Sean Manaea (1-1, 4.12 ERA) vs. LHP Blake Snell (0-3, 11.57 ERA)
When: 3:45 PM EDT
Where to Watch: SNY
Back down to earth? ✍️
The fear we all have when a team - in our case, the Mets - goes on a fantastic winning streak, such as the one the club recently experienced, is what the team will look like when the winning streak is over.
Especially with a team we all know, while they were unquestionably better than the Mets that started out 0-5, were probably not going to play on a 10-3 pace the rest of the season.
What does that in-between version of the Mets look like? The one where they have to grind out wins when the chips aren’t all falling their way?
I still don’t think we know the answer to that question.
The Mets, even throughout their six-game winning streak and 10-3 run, unquestionably showed their flaws during that stretch. Andrew discussed the issues with the rotation yesterday and there were a lot of low-scoring wins during that stretch of games. Wins are wins and every team needs some luck to go along with any hot streak they encounter over the course of the season. All of that is well and good.
But here we are in the midst of the Mets coming back down to earth. They’ve scored three runs in their last three games, their pitching hasn’t been good and certainly not good enough to withstand a cold streak like this from the offense.
So, I ask again, what do the Mets look like under normal circumstances? Perhaps it is what their current record would indicate, and that is an inconsistent more-or-less .500 team? It might be. Maybe JD Martínez will help in that regard starting in a couple of days. They could sure use that lineup lengthening right about now.
I do have a lot of concerns about this starting rotation. They either can’t go deep into games because of a lack of quality, or they pitch well but their inefficiency limits their ability to get them even into the sixth inning. Sometimes, it's amazing they can give the club five innings. It has a domino effect on the bullpen, has forced the front office to increase routes in-between the Mets and Syracuse, and perhaps cost the Mets Brooks Raley for a while as a result.
Having said that, it was certainly nice to see Luis Severino give the Mets six innings on Tuesday, and he was dominant for four of those innings as he retired the first 12 to face him. But that fifth inning was rather brutal and those runs came way too quick for someone who was so dominant just minutes before. The Giants were able to adjust to Severino’s fastball, or actually Severino’s fastball location wasn’t good, or both. That pitch had absolutely befuddling to them over the first four innings. So, now Severino has to make that adjustment the second time through the order, especially when the offense is struggling in the manner it is right now.
Even so, if the Mets are contending in three months, they’re very likely going to need another starting pitcher at the trade deadline. There’s no way the Mets will be extending Kodai Senga very much coming off a capsule injury, and that assumes he’s back by then at all. And, we don’t know how he’s even going to look, anyway.
They’re probably also going to need more bullpen help in front of Edwin Díaz - again, what’s happening down there as a result of the inefficiencies in the starting rotation is not sustainable.
And there’s always room for more relievers.
The great thing about the Mets at the moment is they still have a chance to salvage a .500 road trip. I would’ve signed up for that in a heartbeat when the Mets left Citi Field a week ago. Perhaps I would’ve liked that to come in a little different form, without a three-game losing streak sandwiched in there. But they have an afternoon game against San Francisco today against a pitcher who is making big bucks but can’t get out of his own way right now in Blake Snell. Their ability to salvage the final game of this series would be huge and it’s an opportunity to (hopefully) wake the bats up a little bit and come home with a win.
Getting swept is a no no today!
Around the League 🚩
Julio Rodriguez hit his first home run of the year as the Mariners shutout the Rangers 4-0
Thanks to a four-run first inning, the Yankees shutdown the A’s 4-1 in the Bronx
Max Fried threw just 92 pitches in the Braves 5-0 shutout of the Marlins
The White Sox fell to 3-20 with their 6-5 loss to the Twins in Minneapolis
Mike Trout hit his ninth home run of the season in the Angels 7-4 win over the Orioles