The New York Mets fell to the Houston Astros Monday afternoon in a 2-0 shutout. The Mets offense was able to scratch together eight hits but were unable to get anything going against Astros ace Justin Verlander.
Pitching:
Steven Matz fired six solid innings allowing five hits and zero walks while surrendering two earned runs. Matz also struck out nine Astros, further solidifying his spot in the rotation.
The two runs he allowed came off a Carlos Correa home run in the second and an RBI single from Jose Altuve in the third.
This was a positive start for Matz, especially on the heels of fellow lefty Jason Vargas getting injured. Hopefully he can translate this into the regular season.
Jerry Blevins, AJ Ramos, Anthony Swarzak and Jeurys Familia pitched a combined two innings of three hit ball while surrendering zero runs and striking out one. Another good sign as these pitchers will be finishing games at the back end of the bullpen this year.
Hitting:
Yoenis Cespedes returned to the lineup and went 1-for-3 while batting second in the order. He had been sidelined with a sore wrist the last several days.
Asdrubal Cabrera went 1-for-3 while batting leadoff as he continues to fight for the No. 1 spot in the order going into the regular season.
Adrian Gonzalez continues his Spring struggles, going 0-for-4 while leaving five Metropolitans stranded.
Unfortunately, despite sprinkling eight hits, the Mets put up a goose egg in the run column.
On Deck:
Matt Harvey takes the hill against the Mets’ Opening Day opponents the St. Louis Cardinals at Roger Dean Stadium in Jupiter, Florida. First pitch is scheduled for 1:05 p.m.
