With the Mets’ starting pitching staff taking a hit in 2020 (I’ll spare you a reminder of the specifics), much is expected of Steven Matz as he looks to fill the gaps and provide support behind ace Jacob deGrom.

The pressure was on, but Matz appeared up to the task in a stellar first start against the Braves, in which he allowed just one run over six innings while striking out seven.

The left-hander, unfortunately, did not fair as well against the Red Sox on Thursday night.

After a quick and efficient top of the first, Matz could not replicate in the second. Catcher Christian Vazquez – who cracked a solo homer off Seth Lugo the previous night – went yard again, putting the Sox up 1-0.

Although the Mets quickly fought back to score two in the bottom of the third, thus putting the Mets up 2-1, Matz could not hold down the fort for long.

In the top of the fourth, following Xander Bogaerts‘ weak ground ball to third that couldn’t be translated into an out, Vazquez stepped to the plate.

Matz, despite his clear frustration at Bogaerts’ dribbler, managed to get ahead 0-2 on the catcher – but promptly lost him as Vazquez turned on a 94 MPH fastball and deposited it into the left field seats.

The score was flipped, 3-2 in Boston’s favor, and they did not look back.

Matz worked his way through another inning before exiting with one out in the fifth after tossing 104 pitches (67 strikes – 17 looking, 7 swinging). The lefty allowed a total of eight hits on the night, giving up three runs (all earned), two walks, and striking out three.

The long ball was the clear culprit in Matz’s less-than-stellar second start, but there were other contributing factors as well.

Matz didn’t seem to have the same level of control that he had in his initial start. He wasn’t erratic by any stretch, but he didn’t seem to hit his spots as often. His curveball also appeared to be missing the snap it had in his initial start, which certainly didn’t help.

In addition, Matz’s frustration – which rears its head every now and then when the lefty is met with misfortune – looked like it might have affected his concentration a bit.

Barring any changes, Matz’s next start should be against the Nats in D.C. on Tuesday. With seven out of 60 games already under the Mets’ belt, let’s hope the left-hander can get back on track quickly.