Mets Bats Run Cold, Winning Streak Snapped at Four Games

The New York Mets did not sweep their second doubleheader of the year as they fall to the Colorado Rockies by a score of 7-2, snapping their winning streak at four games. A flurry of season pitching debuts for the Mets did not go their way and the bats went as cold as the Denver night. 

On the Mound

Joey Lucchesi made his first start in Mets uniform tonight and it didn’t go the way he wanted. Lucchesi had a rough first inning giving three runs on four hits. From that point on he was really able settle in, retiring nine of the last 10 batters he faced, before being pulled in the bottom of the 4th inning for Robert Gsellman.

Gsellman also made a debut tonight, his season debut. Although he had not pitched in nearly a month, Gsellman pitched well in his one inning of work, giving up one double but retiring the rest. 

Then it was Jacob Barnes in the fifth inning. Barnes gave up a leadoff  single to Garrett Hampson, then induced a flyout off the bat of Ryan McMahon. Then Barnes ran into some really bad luck, as Trevor Story hit a ball to second base that would have been a double play to end the inning if the Mets were not in the shift.

Instead of the double play, Hampson went first to third with one out. Charlie Blackmon hit a little dribbler to second that scored the fourth run of the game. Then things really got away from Barnes.

After a C.J. Cron walk, Josh Fuentes hit a three-run home run that blew the game open for the Rockies making the score 7-2. Trevor Hildenberger came on in the sixth inning for his Mets debut and gave up no runs on one hit, while striking out two.

At the Plate

The Rockies ace German Marquez was in cruise control for the first three innings, retiring the Mets lineup in order to start the game. Then in the fourth, the Mets began to wake up offensively.

Brandon Nimmo extended his on-base streak to 23 games with a single and Francisco Lindor walked to put two runners with nobody out. Michael Conforto and Pete Alonso would both come up empty with runners in scoring position, as each of them struck out swinging. Luckily Jeff McNeil came through.

McNeil was looking for his first hit of the year with runners in a scoring position and he got it, as ripping a double down the right field line to score two. The Mets had a life once again in Colorado.

Then the light faded as quickly as it came. Marquez settled back down in fifth inning and never looked back. He pitched a complete game and was pretty dominant the entire way through. The only two hits the Mets had tonight came in that fourth inning. 

On Deck

The Mets are back in action tomorrow against the Rockies for the rubber match of the series at 3:10 p.m as Marcus Stroman will look to continue his strong start to the season. New York has won each of Stroman’s first two starts this year.