Snap back to reality: Mets winning streak ends in an all-too-familiar fashion
The Mets five-game winning streak comes to an end in Chicago. Plus, how the results on Tuesday night are something we've seen too often this season.
What’s Up with the Mets? ⚾️
The Mets were blown out by the Cubs by a score of 7-2 at Wrigley Field (box)
RHP Tylor Megill struggled mightily, allowing six runs (four earned) over just 3.2 innings pitched in the loss
1B Pete Alonso was the only player to come through at the dish, clubbing a solo home run (18) and driving in another run on an RBI single
CF Brandon Nimmo went 3-for-4 and scored one of the team’s two runs
OF Tommy Pham is now 4-for-his-last-32 at the plate, batting .148/.250/.185 with no home runs and 2 RBI in that span
New York’s season-high five-game winning streak came to an end with the loss
The Mets are now 7-13 against left-handed starters this season
Who’s Hot 🔥
1B Pete Alonso has smashed five home runs and drove in 12 runners over the team’s last seven games
CF Brandon Nimmo is hitting .318/.348/.500 with a home run, double and three runs scored over his last five games
Today’s Game 🗓
Match-up: Mets (25-24) vs. Cubs (21-26)
Where: Wrigley Field - Chicago, IL
Starters: RHP Kodai Senga (4-2, 3.77 ERA) vs RHP Marcus Stroman (3-4, 3.05 ERA)
When: 7:40 PM EDT
Where to Watch: SNY, MLB Network
An all-too-familiar performance by a starter dooms the Mets winning streak… ✍🏼
The Mets five-game winning streak was a sight for sore eyes, specifically because it appeared as if their starting pitching had gotten back on track. Aside from a lost start by Carlos Carrasco, making his first start off the injured list since April, New York had put together quality starts in four of those five victories.
The notion that the club’s rotation had finally turned a corner was put on a brief pause on Tuesday night, though, as an all-too-familiar scene played out once more.
Right-hander Tylor Megill, who was so effective early on in 2022, walked off the mound after giving the team another non-competitive performance. Doomed in part by his defense, Megill allowed six runs (four earned) over just 3.2 innings pitched. Unfortunately for the 27-year-old starter, this only continued a trend of uninspiring performances.
After posting a 2.25 ERA over his first three starts of the season, Megill has seen himself go in the opposite direction of late. In his last seven starts, the right-hander is 2-3 with a 5.29 ERA, 5.84 FIP and has seen opposing batters hit .278/.374/.444 with six home runs and an .818 OPS against him.
This unfortunately is a similar trend for Megill overall, who went from having a 1.93 ERA in his first five appearances last season to a 9.78 ERA over the rest of the year (10 appearances).
Outside of just Megill, this has also been a trend for most of the Mets starting rotation throughout this season. 50 games into the season, New York only has only received 10 quality starts from their pitching staff. And that’s with the four that came in their previous five games, meaning that 40 percent of the Mets’ quality starts occurred last week.
If you’re looking at it through a glass-half-full approach, you could argue that the club’s previous five games were an indication that the tides are slowly changing and Megill’s performance on Tuesday night was merely a speed bump by a fifth starter who was never originally supposed to make the major league team. On the other hand, however, due to the Mets mighty struggles in the pitching department this season, Megill’s performance last night may serve as a reminder that we’re going to need to see a higher level of output from this rotation a lot more consistently before we are to believe that things are truly turning around.
Once this road trip is complete, I believe that we’ll have a better sense of if things have improved on the whole in the starting rotation. As of now, though, last night was a sight we’ve seen far too much of early in 2023…
Around the League 🚩
The Blue Jays recorded 27 hits in their 20-1 demolition of the Rays on Wednesday
Down to their final strike, the Yankees came back and defeated the Orioles thanks to a game-tying home run by OF Aaron Judge and a walk-off sacrifice fly from SS Anthony Volpe
Dodgers RHP Bobby Miller made his major league debut, pitching five innings of one-run ball in the club’s 8-1 win over the Braves
Cubs rookie CF Christopher Morel homered for his fifth consecutive game in the club’s 7-2 win over the Mets
Padres OF Juan Soto went 3-for-4 with a 441-foot home run in his return to Washington, where San Diego won by a score of 7-4