Disaster Of An Eighth Inning Results In Mets’ 7-6 Loss

Entering the eighth inning of the final game of a three-game set between the New York Mets and Philadelphia Phillies on Sunday, the Mets held a three-run lead. Manager Buck Showalter opted to go with left-handed reliever Josh Walker with lefties Bryce Harper and Bryson Stott due up in the inning. Walker walked each and allowed the middle hitter to tally a single. Showalter’s next move? Enter Jeff Brigham, not the team’s elite reliever David Robertson.

Brigham went on to walk one and hit two batters resulting in the Phillies rallying for four runs in the inning with the aid of only one hit. This all while Robertson was warming up in the bullpen, apparently getting ready for a ninth inning that would not come. As a result, the Mets dropped another series, by the score of 7-6, and now own a woeful 35-42 record.

After the contest, Showalter did not show any remorse for his decision making in the eighth frame. He confirmed Adam Ottavino (26 pitches on Saturday) and Brooks Raley (back-to-back outings) were unavailable while Robertson was getting ready for a save opportunity in the ninth inning, if needed. Showalter said after the game, “What else can we do? I was hoping just like last night that we could’ve stretched every out we can with everybody e got. They are capable of doing the job, they just didn’t today.” This signaling he had no regrets about his managing for the future, and not the present approach.

Before the eighth inning, it was going well for New York. They got offense from their big guns, as Pete Alonso tallied his best performance since returning from the injured list (HR, 3 RBIs) and Francisco Lindor tallied a solo home run. Brett Baty, Tommy Pham, and Brandon Nimmo all also tallied multiple hits. Once again, New York got the offense they needed, the pitching just faltered.

Speaking of pitching, Carlos Carrasco turned in a short outing. He only went four innings, failing to hit the five-inning plateau for the third-straight game. Despite this, he only allowed two runs and had five strikeouts. Before the implosion, reliever Grant Hartwig turned in a nice outing, going two innings allowing only one hit and keeping the Phillies off the board.

Unfortunately, as mentioned above, the implosion happened in the eighth inning. An important aspect of that game-deciding inning was what looked to be a tailor-made double play that was botched by third baseman Brett Baty. After that error, a walk and two hit by pitches spelled demise to the Mets. Baty knew how costly the play was, as after the game he said, “That one [the loss] is completely on me.”

That was not the only defensive mishap New York had in the game. In the third inning, a misplayed fly ball with a 17 percent hit probability by Starling Marte resulted in a run later in the frame. It also led to Carrasco having to turn in an extremely laborious inning which in return helped end his day short in the fourth inning. The little mistakes add up, and that was no different in this game, as the Mets continue to be plagued by this very exact problem on almost a nightly basis.

As the great Gary Cohen said on the broadcast after the game, “The Mets 42nd loss of the season is their most horrific. No more words.” That says it best.

Statistic of the Game: 24 Days

The Mets have not won a series since June 1, 24 days ago. Since their three-game sweep of the Phillies, the team has gone 5-14 and have seen their contender aspirations all but subside. Whether it be bad starting pitching, inconsistent offense, bad defense, or poor managing, the Mets have not been able to string good play in a row for a while now.

Player Focus: Pete Alonso

Alonso had himself a very strong Sunday. He went 2-for-4, reaching base three times, with a home run and three RBIs. The home run, his 24th of the season, brings him one off of Matt Olson and Shohei Ohtani for the major-league lead. Meanwhile, his 55 RBIs on the season puts him in a second-place tie in the National League. 

Alonso did not look all that strong when he first came back from his wrist injury. However, it appears he has gotten into a groove again and can hopefully build off Sunday’s performance.

On Deck

The Mets are right back at it Monday at Citi Field. They welcome in the Milwaukee Brewers for a four-game series. Game 1 is scheduled for 7:10 pm ET. The probable pitching matchup in that game is Colin Rea versus Justin Verlander.