Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
If moral victories counted, the Mets would have the best record in baseball. Sadly they don’t and New York finishes its series against the Los Angeles Dodgers with three actual losses.
The Mets were placed in a near-insurmountable hole from the jump. Three runs from the Dodgers in the first inning is almost a death sentence for New York’s offense. Add another three runs to that in the second to go up 6-0 and it’s all but over. Los Angeles completed the sweep of the Mets with a final score of 14-4.
New York followed its usual script. Get runners on, don’t bring them home. In the first, the Mets had runners on the corners with one out. They ended the inning with two weak flyouts and no runs. In the second, the Mets had two runners on with one out and pitcher Carlos Carrasco up. Carrasco sacrificed successfully. Brandon Nimmo couldn’t bring them home.
In the third, the Mets had Michael Conforto and Pete Alonso in scoring position with zero outs. Only Conforto would score on a fielders choice. They scored again in the fourth. Aided by some Trea Turner and Corey Seager defensive mishaps the Mets loaded the bases with one out. Conforto grounded out to score Jonathan Villar, and Alonso struck out looking to end the inning.
They were 0-for-10 with runners in scoring position by the fourth inning.
But across the board, the Mets failed to execute.
Carrasco let up first-inning home runs to Justin Turner and Will Smith. Cody Bellinger and Trea Turner doubled while Max Muncy homered off Carrasco in the second inning. He departed allowing six runs on six hits, one walk, and striking out three. His ERA is 10.32.
Luis Rojas‘ decision to let Carrasco bunt in the bottom of the second when he was going to pull him is right to be questioned. What are bench players for, if not to be called upon when needed? Rojas eventually called on his bench with two outs in the sixth. Travis Blankenhorn pinch-hit for Yennsy Diaz and struck out.
Rojas left one guy on his bench Tomas Nido. Kevin Pillar only entered to pitch the final out for the Mets, Brandon Drury pinch-hit in the eighth and remained to pitch the ninth recording two outs. Pillar’s bat is good enough to start over Dominic Smith but not for a guy with 19 career at-bats.
The lone Met to execute was No. 52 Jake Reed. Reed made his first appearance for the Mets and first major league appearance since July 18 when he was a member of the Dodgers. The righty filled three innings for the Mets pen, allowed two hits, and struck out three. He peppered the strike zone with 33 of 46 pitches inside it.
Once Reed departed the Dodgers tacked on another three-run inning. This time against Diaz. Former Met Billy McKinney tripled and came to score off Max Scherzer‘s sacrifice fly. Muncy hit his second home run of the night, driving in Trea Turner again.
McKinney was the last member of the Mets to hit a triple on June 3. Sunday, the Mets broke the major league record for consecutive games without a triple at 68.
Maybe Trea Turner and Scherzer were getting revenge for their former teammates. The Mets swept a four-game series against the Nationals the series prior. Turner finished 3-for-4 with four runs, one RBI, one walk, a stolen base, and a double. Scherzer twirled six innings, striking out seven, and allowed six baserunners.
New York showed life once again in the seventh against 28-year-old rookie Darien Nunez. They loaded the bases with one out. Nunez was pulled for Edwin Uceta. The Mets scored two runs, one from a wild pitch and another from a sacrifice fly. They were now batting 0-for-12 with RISP with 10 runners left on base.
The Dodgers scored 10 of their 14 runs with two outs. They finished 6-for-11 with RISP.
On the plus side, the Mets get to take a red-eye to San Francisco and play the first-place Giants Monday night.
