Wednesday night was bad, but it could’ve been a whole lot worse.
The Mets’ starting pitching imploded once again, and the bullpen, already tired and short-armed, only added fuel to the fire. The Cubs evened the series in game two, piling up 10 runs to the Mets’ measly three.
Still, the worst-case scenario was avoided. On a night where everything that could go wrong pretty much did, the Mets’ magic number to clinch a playoff spot actually dropped, thanks to the Pirates and Dodgers taking care of business elsewhere.
Jonah Tong made his fifth major league start Wednesday night, hoping to build off his previous outing, in which he struck out eight over five scoreless innings. Instead, he got the opposite.
Trouble showed up immediately in the first, when Tong allowed a leadoff hit and a walk. A rocket throw from Tyrone Taylor in center bailed him out and kept the Cubs off the board, but the free pass was a red flag, considering Tong hadn’t issued one in his last start.
The second inning was his cleanest, a quick 1-2-3 frame on three flyouts to center. But the third unraveled everything.
The 22-year-old was shelled for five earned runs without recording an out, leaving the game after just two innings and 56 pitches.
The bullpen tried to pick up the pieces, but coming off Peterson’s short outing the night before, the group was already gassed. The Cubs took full advantage.
“It’s just another baseball game,” Tong said postgame. “Pressure is a privilege. I’m just out there just trying to do the best I possibly can.”
Tong now sits at 2-3 with a 7.71 ERA and 1.77 WHIP over 18.2 innings. He’s flashed potential – the stuff is there – but the accelerated jump to the majors is starting to feel like a rushed mistake.
The sample size is still small, but his underlying numbers suggest reasons to believe. Tong’s xERA is a full three runs lower than his actual ERA, and his extension, exit velo, strikeout rate, and hard-hit rate all rank among the league’s top percentiles.
It won’t be easy, but the 22-year-old is going to have to work through his struggles on the fly, competing against the best in the world. Talk about being thrown straight into the deep end.
