Mets poor defense, lack of clutch hitting again dooms them against Dodgers

The Mets problems with RISP and behind their pitching deepened on Thursday in a frustrating loss to LA

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What’s up with the Mets? ⚾

• The Mets jumped out to an early lead but fell apart late in their 5-4 loss against the Dodgers (box)

• LHP David Peterson was good again outside of one bad inning. He pitched 7.0 innings, gave up three earned runs, and struck out six

• RHP Reed Garrett finally proved mortal and earned the loss. He gave up three runs, one earned, in the blown save

• 1B Pete Alonso continued to mash at Dodger Stadium. He went 3-for-4 with a HR and two RBIs

• LF Brandon Nimmo went 1-for-4 with a run scored, RBI, and a walk out of the leadoff spot

• The Mets will be hosting an Alumni Classic on September 13 where Team Shea Stadium will be playing against Team Citi Field Field, a modern rendition of Old Timers Day

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Injury Updates 🏥

• Francisco Lindor (broken pinkie toe) is day-to-day after being hit on the foot with a pitch

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Play of the Game ⭐️

With the Mets leading 5-4 with one out in the bottom of the eighth, Andy Pages hit a weak roller to third, which Brett Baty picked up, but double-clutched and made a poor throw to the plate, which allowed the tying run to score and the tide to completely shift on the Mets, eventually leading to the loss:

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Who’s Hot? 🔥

• 1B Pete Alonso is hitting .357/.419/.857 with four home runs and 12 RBIs over his last seven games - he now has 55 RBI which leads the major leagues

• DH Starling Marte went 3-for-4 in the finale against the Dodgers and is hitting .314/.415/.543 with two home runs, 3 RBIs, and nine runs scored over his last 15 games

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Down on the Farm 🌾

• OF Carson Benge (No. 3 prospect, Single-A): 1-for-3, R, 2B, BB, K

• RHP Nate Dohm (No. 18 prospect, High-A): 5.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, BB, 6 K

BOX SCORES

Low-A STL Game 1 Game 2 | High-A BRK | Double-A BNG | Triple-A SYR

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Today’s Game 🗓️

Match-up: Mets (39-24) at Rockies (12-50)

Where: Coors Field - Denver, CO

Starters: RHP Kodai Senga (6-3, 1.60 ERA) vs. RHP Antonio Senzatela (1-10, 7.14 ERA)

When: 8:10 PM EDT

Where to Watch: SNY

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Hitting with runners in scoring position continues to bite the Mets… ✍️

AP Photo

The fact that the Mets are in first place is nothing short of miraculous considering their struggles with RISP this season. It bit them again in the finale against the Dodgers when they went 2-for-10 with runners in scoring position while leaving 13 men on base. Yes, Brett Baty’s bad throw to the plate ultimately sank them, and Starling Marte’s poor base running to get picked off at third didn’t help them either, but had they capitalized on their chances earlier in the game, those plays would not loom as large.

Of course, all of those incidents combined are reasons the Mets didn’t deserve to win on Thursday and had to settle for a split of their big four-game series against the Dodgers. They threw away a gritty effort by David Peterson who gave them another seven strong innings on the hill and big days at the plate from both Pete Alonso and Starling Marte in particular.

Certainly, if the Mets want to win a World Series, they are going to have to clean up their defense. They’ve literally thrown upwards of five games away already this season due to poor defense. But again, they can absorb those mistakes at times if they didn’t create their own razor-thin margins at the plate.

As a team, they are hitting .218/.321/.387 with a .708 OPS, which is good (or bad) for 27th in the league, which puts them ahead of the Orioles, White Sox, and the historically bad Rockies. When there is RISP with two outs, the team is hitting .206/.317/.316 with a .633 OPS. On the flip side, the Dodgers are first in the league in both of those categories. Credit to the Dodgers, who are a good team, and it was always going to be a tough challenge to take two series from them, but it can’t help but feel like the Mets let a win slip away.

Outside of Pete Alonso, the numbers are very, very ugly for individual players on the team when it comes to driving in runners:

• Francisco Lindor: 189/.262/.340 OPS .602

• Brandon Nimmo: .231/.278/.415 OPS .693

• Juan Soto: .137/.294/.294 OPS .588

• Mark Vientos: .143/.267/.347 OPS .614

• Luisangel Acuña: .171/.231/.171 OPS .402

• Francisco Alvarez: .217/.308/.304 OPS .612

• Starling Marte: .217/.424/.261 OPS .685

• Jeff McNeil: .167/.267/.375 OPS .642

The outliers are:

• Pete Alonso: .354/.489/.754 OPS 1.243

• Brett Baty: .265/.333/.500 OPS .833

• Tyrone Taylor: .282/.364/.359 OPS .723

• Luis Torrens: .296/.387/.407 OPS .794

A team-wide slump might speak to a broader issue like approach - the Mets have four positions on the field with overall OPS’ of less than .700. But the bottom line is that the players need to start producing with runners on base. They can’t solely rely on the long ball for runs, although they’re in the top third in MLB in that category thanks in large measure to, Lindor, Soto, Alonso.

Perhaps Coors Field will be just the antidote this team needs to get the offense going.

When this team does finally put it together and if their pitching holds, this could be a scary team the rest of the season and in October. While the lineup will probably need some lengthening come the trade deadline, There is far too much talent on this roster for this trend to continue, and while frustrating losses will still happen, hopefully they will become rarer as the playoff race starts to heat up.

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Around the League 🚩

• The Diamondbacks were down 10-4 in the ninth inning against the Braves but stormed back with a 7-run inning to finish off a sweep of Atlanta

• The Rays walked-off the Rangers with a two-run infield single to win 4-3

• After a slow start to the season the Orioles won their sixth straight after defeating the Mariners 4-3

• The Yankees blanked the Guardians 4-0 behind a brilliant start from Max Fried, who lowered his ERA to 1.78 for the year

• Billionaire Justin Ishbia is reportedly going to be the next owner of Chicago White Sox in 2029 (ESPN)