Chris Bassitt’s Struggles Continue in 13-2 Loss to Padres

The Mets took on the Padres on Wednesday night in San Diego in the rubber match of their three game series. Both teams sent their newest additions from Oakland to the mound as Chris Bassitt made the start for the Mets against Sean Manaea, who the Athletics dealt to the Padres nearly three weeks after dealing Bassitt to New York. It was the southpaw from San Diego who got the upper hand as the Padres cruised to a 13-2 win to take the series.

After Manaea threw a scoreless first inning for the Padres, the San Diego offense got the scoring started in the bottom of the inning. Bassitt walked Jurickson Profar to lead off the inning. He retired the next two Padres, but back-to-back two-out singles from Luke Voit and Nomar Mazara brought Profar around for the game’s first run.

The Mets were able to get their first hit much faster than they did on Tuesday. With two outs in the second, Jeff McNeil dropped a perfect push bunt past Manaea for a single. Unfortunately for him and the Mets, he wouldn’t go any further after Luis Guillorme grounded out to end the inning.

Bassitt retired the Padres in order in the second inning, but found himself in trouble in the third. Jake Cronenworth hit a bloop single to left field before Manny Machado doubled down the left field line. McNeil’s relay throw to Francisco Lindor was not a great one, but Lindor still had a chance to get Cronenworth at home. Lindor’s throw would have been on the money, but since it came from nearly on the third baseline, it hit Cronenworth’s foot when he started his slide and got away from Tomás Nido. Machado was held at third since the ball went out of play, and Bassitt struck out Voit and Mazara to escape any further damage.

After avoiding a big inning in the second, Bassitt was unable to do the same in the third. The Padres quickly loaded the bases with nobody out on a single, a walk and a sac-bunt so well placed by Ha-Seong Kim that Nido did not have a play and was charged with an error. Sergio Alcantara struck out to bring the top of the Padres order up, and they wasted no time blowing the game open. Profar singled in two runs, and Cronenworth followed up driving in two more to put an end to Bassitt’s night. With Stephen Nogosek in the game and up 6-0, Machado hit his second RBI double of the night to extend the Padres lead to 7-0.

Bassitt finished the night allowing seven runs (six earned) on seven hits and two walks in just 3 1/3 innings.

Nogosek retired the first two hitters of the fifth inning before the Padres put together another rally. After a walk to Kim and a single from Alcantara, Profar continued his huge series by ripping an RBI double to extend the lead to 8-0. Cronenworth followed with a three-run home run to make it 11-0.

The Mets finally got to Manaea in the seventh inning. Their only hit to that point had been McNeil’s bunt single in the second inning. After J.D. Davis led off the inning with a walk, followed with the Mets’ second hit of the day and moved to second base after Profar misplayed the ball in left field. McNeil came up and got his second hit of the day, a line-drive single off of Manaea’s back, to drive in the Mets’ first run. The rally did not go much further, as a Guillorme run-scoring double play and a groundout from Nido put an end to the inning.

San Diego got those two runs right back in the bottom of the seventh. Joely Rodriguez allowed back-to-back singles to start the inning to put runners on the corners, and a groundout and an error by Rodriguez brought those two runs in.

The Mets got their first two runners of the ninth inning on from singles by Patrick Mazeika and Davis, but they were not able to drive the two runners in as the next three Mets were retired to close out the series.

Player of the Game: Jeff McNeil

Aside from a scoreless inning from Adam Ottavino, McNeil was pretty much the only Met to have a good night, going 2-4 with an RBI. McNeil’s push bunt in the second could not have been executed any better, and his line-drive single off Manaea was the only RBI of the night for Mets’ hitters. With two more hits, McNeil’s batting average on the season went up to .314, which is third in the National League behind just Machado at .329 and Paul Goldschmidt at .341.

On Deck

The Mets will take on the Los Angeles Angels on Friday in Anaheim after an off day on Thursday. The Mets will send Tylor Megill (4-2, 4.41 ERA) to the mound against Michael Lorenzen (5-3, 3.69 ERA) for the Angels. The Angels will enter the series on a 14 game losing streak. The game will be broadcast on Apple TV+, and the radio call will be on WCBS 880.