Mets need to find a way to bounce back, or else
The Mets laid an egg for a second straight game and fell into a virtual tie for a playoff spot. Plus, how New York needs to flush their performance and bounce back immediately.
What’s Up with the Mets? ⚾️
The Mets were beat 8-4 by the Brewers in the opening game of a three-game set in Milwaukee on Friday night (box)
LHP Sean Manaea laid a rare egg on the mound, giving up six runs - five earned - on seven hits with two walks and just one strikeout, while also allowing a grand slam to longtime Mets nemesis Rhys Hoskins
Both RHP José Buttó and RHP Adam Ottavino pitched 1.1 innings without allowing a hit or a run, combining for one walk and five strikeouts. However, LHP Danny Young walked two and allowed a run to score, and LHP Alex Young gave up a home run to help seal a crushing loss
New York didn’t help its own cause all night, walking four batters, allowing six stolen bases and a passed ball, a wild pitch and making costly misplays in the field
Manager Carlos Mendoza was ejected for arguing balls and strikes after C Francisco Álvarez was called out in the fourth inning
3B Mark Vientos hit a two-run home run in the top of the third, while a Harrison Bader sac fly and a fielding error made it a three-run game, but the Mets were unable to take advantage of the bases loaded with one out in the eight inning. They went 0-for-6 with runners in scoring position, leaving a total of eight runners stranded
In his first game back in the lineup, SS Francisco Lindor went 2-for-4 with a walk, while also committing an error at shortstop
LHP José Quintana will get the start on the mound for the Mets in Saturday’s game against the Brewers
Playoff Race 🏁
The Mets lost and the Braves won. And, with the Diamondbacks also losing, all three teams are now in a virtual tie with just two Wild Card spots available.
There are just four games remaining.
The Mets magic number vs the Dbacks is now 3, while it remains 5 vs the Braves. New York could clinch as soon as Sunday.
If the Mets do make the playoffs, they will travel to either San Diego or Milwaukee for the Wild Card Series.
Per FanGraphs, the Mets have a 72.1% chance of making the postseason.
Tiebreakers:
vs. ATL: 5-6
vs. ARI: 4-3 (finished)
vs. SD: 5-2 (finished)
Injury Updates 🏥
C Francisco Álvarez exited Friday’s game due to back spasms. The Mets will know more about his availability on Saturday
RHP Kodai Senga (triceps tightness) has been throwing and is due to progress to face hitters at some point
Who’s Hot 🔥
Jose Iglesias went 2-for-3 on Friday to extend his hitting streak to 18 games - the longest active streak in the majors. During that span, Iglesias is hitting .420/.452/.522 with 29 hits, a homer, three RBIs and 13 runs scored
Who’s Cold 🥶
J.D. Martínez is now 0-for-38 after going 0-for-3 with a strikeout on Friday. That’s both a career-high and the longest hitless streak by a Met this season
Today’s Game 🗓
Match-up: Mets (87-71) at Brewers (92-68)
Where: American Family Field — Milwaukee, WI
Starters: LHP José Quintana (10-9, 3.74 ERA) vs. LHP Jared Koenig (9-4, 2.51 ERA)
When: 7:15 PM EDT
Where to Watch: FOX
The Mets need to turn the page and move on from horrific Friday, and quickly… ✍️
Friday was not a good night for the Mets, and that’s actually probably downplaying it.
On a night where they put together a second consecutive sloppy loss in the heat of postseason battle, the Mets lost crucial ground in the Wild Card race to Atlanta, made the final four games a whole lot harder, saw their manager get ejected and, oh, they lost their starting catcher to back spasms too.
Yeah, not great Bob… not great.
Now, it remains to be seen how limited Francisco Álvarez will be for the rest of the weekend. He was said to be moving around in the clubhouse after the game, and manager Carlos Mendoza struck a positive tone when asked about his catcher’s availability for the remainder of the series in Milwaukee.
And, in terms of what went down in Atlanta earlier in the week and then in Milwaukee on Friday, the Mets must now quickly forget and move on.
As Ted Lasso said to his team after they suffered relegation at the end of Season 1, the Mets must now be a goldfish, forget the woes of the last two games and move onward and forward. Dwelling on what have been two awful efforts in the last two games won’t do this team any favors.
Of course, last night left a bad taste in the mouth. The Brewers clearly aren’t in the mood to sit back, take it easy and do the Mets any favors. They were aggressive, racing out to a 4-0 lead in the first thanks in large to Rhys Hoskins’ grand slam. Man, Hoskins sure does enjoy sticking it to the Mets. Milwaukee was also uber-aggressive on the basepaths, stealing six bases while also forcing the Mets into some costly mistakes in the field.
There’s no reason to believe that the Brewers won’t keep on being aggressive for the remainder of the weekend, even with nothing to play for.
For the Mets, though, tonight’s game is all that matters right now.
We have gotten so used to writing this team off all year long, only to have our jaws drop firmly to the floor as they somehow, someway, figure out a way to rise from the dead and keep on fighting. After all, they clawed their way back from being 11 games under .500 and still have a real chance of making the postseason with four games remaining.
That’s the version of the Mets we now need to see in Milwaukee. The gritty team with the tough underbelly and the never-say-die attitude that just refuses to quit.
It won’t be easy, of course. This team has looked like a deer in the headlines over the last two games, seemingly wilting under the pressure like we’ve seen so many times before. Francisco Lindor clearly didn’t look like his MVP self in Friday’s game, Álvarez is now dealing with a back problem, too, and that’s not to mention that Pete Alonso, J.D. Martínez and Jesse Winker are all working on some serious 0-fors at the plate.
Can the Mets find a way to win two of their next four games? That may be enough to get them in, and believe it or not their destiny is still in their own hands right now.
So, with that in mind, they need to be a goldfish, forget about Friday night’s house of horrors and focus everything on getting the train back on the tracks this weekend.
That’s all that matters.
Around the League 🚩
The Padres were able to lock down the top Wild Card spot in the National League after beating the Diamondbacks 5-3 with their 92nd win of the year — the second-highest total in franchise history
Braves LHP Max Fried pitched 8.2 brilliant innings, shutting out the Royals in a 3-0 win
Despite the loss the Royals, who lost 106 games in 2023, punched their playoff ticket thanks to the Twins losing to the Orioles, who in turn clinched the top Wild Card seed in the American League
The White Sox lost their 121st game of the 2024 season on Friday night, officially surpassing the 1962 Mets for the most losses in a single season in the modern era
The Tigers completed the most remarkable of turnarounds, beating the White Sox to advance to the postseason for the first time since 2014
Dodgers DH Shohei Ohtani launched his 54th homer of the year and stole his 57th base as part of a stellar four-hit night, while surpassing the great Ichiro Suzuki for the most stolen bases in a single-season by a Japanese-born player
The thrill was the remarkable turnaround from 11 under .500 to 16 over today. But, as B.B. King observed, the thrill is gone.
There just isn't many good signs that this is a playoff team with the ability to go long in the postseason - so the inevitable pain inherent with Mets fandom is near.
On the positive side, isn't Torrens a better choice than Alvy in at least trying to slow down the Brewers track team?
And why is JD Martinez in the lineup while Luisangel sits?
Manager of the Year? Yeah, that guy in the Brewer dugout.
I'm looking at this being the most important game to the season. Regardless of what the Braves do, a win tonight with a DBacks loss would provide some breathing room.