Another loss, and another anemic outing from the New York Mets offense as they dropped the second game of this three-game series to the Arizona Diamondbacks 2-1. Clay Holmes and the bullpen kept the Mets in it. However, the offense only notched three hits on the day and failed to produce against Arizona starter Merrill Kelly. Thirteen consecutive Mets batters were retired to close out the game. The Mets are now 15-23 on the season.
Mets Offense Still Searching for Answers
The Mets are missing key pieces in the lineup, such as Francisco Lindor, Luis Robert Jr., and Jorge Polanco, but even still, the futility of the offense is jarring. On Saturday against Kelly, a pitcher with a 9.95 ERA coming in, New York did very little. They allowed Kelly to pitch his best game of the season, and he looked like his old 2022-2023 form. The only run of the game came with two outs in the top of the second inning. Brett Baty launched a double that scored Marcus Semien from first base to give the Mets an early 1-0 lead.
However, from there, the Mets only got one hit the rest of the game, a Tyrone Taylor double in the fifth inning. After that double, Kelly intentionally walked Soto, and Bo Bichette flew out to end what was the Mets’ last real chance at a rally, as Bichette’s uncharacteristic struggles with runners in scoring position continue. From there, the Mets never saw a runner reach base again.
Juan Soto’s Bat Has Cooled Down
Juan Soto, despite missing some time with a calf injury, got off to a hot start with a.338 batting average, a slugging percentage of .538%, and an OPS of 980 over his first 18 games. Over his last six games now, Soto has just two hits, and on Saturday, despite being intentionally walked, he was left hitless for the fourth time in these last six games. He just hasn’t looked comfortable at the plate lately.
A cool-down period for an even hitter like Soto is understandable considering how good his start was. Still, with the Mets floundering in last place and needing wins, plus the hitters they have out with injuries and no true timetable set for their returns, they need Soto’s bat to get hot again as quickly as possible.
Holmes Battles Through for Another Solid Outing
It wasn’t an easy outing on this day for Clay Holmes. He had to fight through some early jams, and in the third inning, the Diamondbacks broke through. Holmes had two outs and nobody on until back-to-back singles by Corbin Carroll and Geraldo Perdomo. Followed by a walk to Adrian Del Castillo. With the bases loaded, Ildemaro Vargas singled to drive in Carroll and Perdomo before Holmes got Nolan Arenado to fly out to prevent more damage.
Holmes made it into the sixth inning before he allowed a two-out single to Arenado. He was then taken out of the game for Austin Warren. Overall, Holmes struck out six and suffered a hard-luck loss due to the Mets’ offense not giving him much support.
On Deck:
The Diamondbacks will pitch Eduardo Rodriguez in the series finale on Sunday. While the Mets will throw a bullpen game with Huascar Brazoban getting the start. The game will be telecast locally on SNY and broadcast on WHSQ 880AM at 4:10 pm EST.
