In the first of two at Citi Field in a four-game home and home series with Boston, the Mets (3-3) lost 6-5 to the Red Sox (2-4) on Wednesday evening.

Jacob deGrom  started for New York, throwing six innings and allowing just two earned runs on three hits. He was requited with a lack of run support and a no-decision. The team as a whole was 3-for-14 with runners in scoring position and left 11 on base in what seemed to be the deciding factor of the evening. 

Justin Wilson (0-1) took the loss. (Box Score)

 

Offense:

New York managed 15 hits against the Red Sox on Wednesday.

The Mets put together three knocks and got on the board in the first inning as they loaded the bases with one out on three straight first-pitch singles from Jeff McNeil, Pete Alonso, and Michael Conforto. Dominic Smith cashed in the club’s first run of the night on a fielder’s choice. 

New York had runners on for the next three frames but struggled to capitalize- a recurring theme throughout the evening. 

In his first start, 21-year-old shortstop Andres Gimenez singled to left-center for the first hit of his MLB career. Red Sox starter Nathan Eovaldi made sure to get the ball to Nimmo, who tossed it into the Mets’ dugout for safekeeping. Unfortunately Gimenez was picked off at first base, followed by a Rene Rivera strikeout to end the second.  

Alonso was left stranded after being hit by a pitch in the third and New York failed to take advantage of a pair of leadoff singles from Smith and Yoenis Cespedes in the fourth. 

Nimmo tied it up, 2-2, with a 414-foot solo homer to right field in the following frame for his first of the season. McNeil walked and Alonso lined one to center, putting the go-ahead run in scoring position, but Conforto grounded into a double play and the Mets, again left two stranded.

In the sixth, Cano knocked a two-out single to center off of Boston reliever Marcus Walden. Gimenez continued to shine in his first major league start with a triple on a sharp line drive to center, driving Cano in for a 3-2 lead.

New York got another two on in the seventh when McNeil was hit by a pitch and Alonso singled. They advanced to second and third on a Conforto groundout and with two outs, pinch-hitter J.D. Davis struck out.

In an attempt to spark a comeback, Cespedes grilled a first-pitch fastball for his second home run of the year and cut the Sox lead, 6-4 in the bottom of the eighth. Cano singled to put the tying run at the plate but Gimenez was punched out and pinch-hitter Wilson Ramos grounded into a double play. 

Down two in the bottom of the ninth inning, the Mets hoped to rally for a comeback after a pair of walks by Nimmo and McNeil put the go-ahead run at the plate. A bloop single by Alonso loaded the bases and a one-out Davis base knock cut the deficit to just one. Unfortunately Cespedes and Cano failed to drive in another and New York dropped the heart-breaker to Boston.

Alonso went 4-for-4 after beginning the season 2-for-27. Gimenez was 2-for-4 in his first MLB start with a triple and an RBI.

Pitching:

In pursuit of his third straight Cy Young, Jacob deGrom’s first pitch of the night clocked in at a casual 100.3 mph. The ace had a nice outing throwing six innings in his second start of the season with just three hits and two runs allowed. 

DeGrom cruised through the first three frames, allowing just one hit, a double to J.D. Martinez in the first, and a two-out walk to Andrew Benintendi in the third-but a strike from catcher Rene Rivera to Cano picked off the left-fielder at second to end the inning. 

The Mets ace got into trouble in the fourth as his streak of 31 consecutive scoreless innings would come to an end. Back-to-back one-out doubles by Rafael Devers and Mitch Moreland made it 1-1. A pair of wild pitches by deGrom moved Moreland to third and scored the first baseman. Very out of character for Jake, the two wild pitches in the inning were equal to the amount he had given up for the entire 2019 season. 

DeGrom exited the game in line for the win after throwing 88 pitches with one walk and four strikeouts. Over his last 17 home starts the ace owns a 1.70 ERA. 

Seth Lugo took over in the seventh and gave up his first run of the season when Christian Vazquez slugged his hanging curve ball out of the park to make it even again, 3-3. The righty closed out the frame adding one strikeout. 

Justin Wilson entered in relief for the fourth time in six days and immediately put two runners on surrendering a leadoff single to Kevin Pillar and walking Xander Bogaerts. Pinch-runner Jonathan Arauz replaced Bogaerts, and an intentional walk to J.D. Martinez loaded the bases with one out. Despite striking out Devers, Wilson couldn’t get out of the jam as a pair of singles from Moreland and Vazquez gave Boston a 6-3 lead. 

Wilson walked Alex Verdugo to load the bases again and was lifted for Dellin Betances to get the last out of a bases-loaded jam. The right-hander struck out Jose Peraza to escape further damage.

Jeurys Familia pitched the ninth and got out of the inning allowing just a two-out, ground rule double to Benintendi.

On Deck: 

The Mets look to rally from the loss and take the series against Boston on Thursday evening in Queens. Steven Matz (0-0, 1.50 ERA) will face off on the mound against Martin Perez (0-1, 7.20 ERA). 

Matz came out of the gate strong in his first start of the season Saturday against the Atlanta Braves. He pitched six innings allowing only one run on two hits, walking just one and with seven strikeouts. 

Martin Perez gave up five runs on six hit (four being homers) in his start against the Orioles on Saturday. 

First pitch will be at 7:07 PM on July 30. The game will be televised by Fox and broadcast on WCBS 880-AM.