Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports
The New York Mets fell to the Atlanta Braves in the first two games of the series, desperately needing a bounce-back performance to steady the ship on Thursday. Justin Verlander got more than enough run support, but once again, the veteran was unable to take advantage of that. The right-hander put the bullpen in a difficult spot, throwing a total of three innings, allowing five runs, four of which were earned, on seven hits and four walks.
“This isn’t easy. It’s not easy for the team, not easy for me. The one thing that I’ve always been is accountable – this wasn’t good enough. It isn’t good enough. I will work as hard as anybody to find it,” Verlander said.
New York’s offense did a remarkable job against Spencer Strider, collecting eight runs on eight hits in just four innings. The Mets hit two home runs off the hard-throwing starter, as Brandon Nimmo hit a grand slam in the second and Francisco Álvarez hit a two-run home run in the fourth. Eight runs against a pitcher of Strider’s caliber should have been enough, but with the way the Mets rotation and bullpen is performing, it was not.
Verlander is now 2-3 with a 4.85 ERA in seven starts this season. The Mets are 2-5 in games he has pitched in, which is certainly alarming. The 40-year-old is coming off a Cy Young season with the Houston Astors, so this drastic dip in form to begin his time in New York is difficult to understand.
He is not alone, as many of the pitchers on the Mets are underperforming at the moment. The team has a 4.68 ERA, which ranks 24th in all of baseball. Max Scherzer has a 3.71 ERA through 10 starts, Tylor Megill has a 4.40 ERA in 12 starts, Kodai Senga has a 3.75 ERA through 11 starts, and while he has been better as of late, Carlos Carrasco has a 5.94 ERA in seven starts. In order for the Mets to turn this season around, the rotation needs to perform better.
