On Saturday against the Miami Marlins, the New York Mets celebrated the 40th anniversary of the 1986 World Series Championship team. To this day, the last time the Mets have hoisted a World Series trophy. Unfortunately, with many of the ’86 team in attendance, the Mets showed why they are where they are right now in a 6-2 loss to the Marlins. Zac Thornton had his first rough outing of his career, and the Mets made two more errors on the field. New York is now 47-65 on the season.
Zac Thornton vs. Braves
Zac Thornton Has First Bump in the Road
Things were going smoothly for Thornton, almost too smoothly. Thornton had pitched to a 2.43 ERA through his first five starts of his career. Striking out 22 batters in 29 2/3 innings pitched. Against the Marlins, though, Thornton got his first true taste of adversity and didn’t have his best stuff. He fell short of going a full five innings after allowing six hits, four runs, three of them earned, and three walks. A Francisco Lindor error didn’t help him off the bat of Otto Lopez. Lopez would score on a Liam Hicks RBI single.
Thornton’s struggles really picked up in the second inning as he allowed a single to Kyle Stowers and then a two-run home run to Javier Sanoja to make it 3-0 Marlins. In the fourth inning, he hit Esteury Ruiz and then allowed a single to Griffin Conine before Daniel Duarte came on in relief.
Two More Errors by the Mets Defense
The defense again let the Mets down Saturday. Lindor’s error in the first inning set up the first Marlins run of the afternoon. Then, Thornton made a throwing error of his own in the second inning after allowing the two-run homer to Sanoja. While Thornton’s error didn’t result in more Marlins runs to score, it just added to the litany of errors the Mets defense has made all season long. Lindor’s error to begin the game set the tone. And it highlights his defensive struggles over the last two years again. His bat has been productive as of late; he had two hits on Saturday. Now his defense has to mold back into the form the Mets and Lindor have been used to. Either way, the Mets as a team continue to bounce the ball around.
Tyrone Taylor Homers Again
One thing that continues to roll for the Mets has been the bat of Tyrone Taylor. In the bottom of the second inning and the Mets trailing 3-0, Marcus Siemien singled and Taylor followed it up with a two-run home run to put the Mets on the board. It was the Mets’ lone runs of the day. For Taylor, it was his seventh home run in his last 19 games. With the trade deadline days away, Taylor’s stock is quickly rising as a potential trade candidate for any team that needs an outfielder.
On Deck
The Mets wrap up the homestand on Sunday afternoon against the Marlins. Sandy Alcantara will pitch for Miami, while the Mets have yet to announce a starter. Clay Holmes could’ve returned to pitch this game. However, the Mets chose to pitch him in Brooklyn for trade deadline purposes. The game will be televised locally on SNY at 1:40 pm EDT and broadcast on WHSQ 880 AM.
