Mets Drop Series Finale 6-1 To Red Sox

The New York Mets (46-52) sent Carlos Carrasco to the mound at Fenway Park on Sunday Night Baseball to try and win the rubber-game against the Boston Red Sox. After dropping Game 2 of the series Saturday, where Max Scherzer struggled thanks in large part to the long ball, along with the offense, Carrasco and the bats followed suit once again Sunday.

Carrasco did not last past the third inning and was responsible for five of the six Red Sox runs in the Mets’ 6-1 loss. Getting off to a rocky start in the bottom first inning, he surrendered two hits and one run to give Boston a 1-0 lead right away.

The third inning was where the cookie really crumbled. Six-straight hits and four runs later, the Mets had enough of Carrasco. As a parting gift, Carrasco left the bases loaded for Drew Smith, who surrendered two of the runs via an RBI single from Yu Chang as well as a wild pitch. Boston had a 5-0 lead exiting the third inning.

In all, Carrasco had another subpar outing, allowing 10 hits, five runs, two walks, while striking out only two. The worst part? He only lasted 2 1/3 innings, putting major strain on the bullpen once again.

Luckily, that bullpen was decent behind Carrasco. Trevor Gott had a clean inning of work, striking out one and only surrendering a single hit in the fifth, David Peterson struck out a pair in the sixth, and Adam Ottavino had a scoreless outing. The only blemish was when Dominic Leone giving up a 413-foot solo shot to Rafael Devers.

As for the offense, or lack thereof, New York’s bats remained silent while their starting pitching faltered. While the Red Sox had 10 hits through three inning, and 15 by the end of the game, the Mets had six after the final out. Francisco Lindor drove in the only Mets’ run with an RBI single in the sixth inning.

To add insult to injury, Pete Alonso was struck with a pitch in the ninth inning right on the knee. He stayed in the game but was visibly in a lot of pain. Buck Showalter after the game said he [Alonso], “was pretty sore.” Luckily, according to Alonso himself, he said, “I’ll be in there on Tuesday.”

Once again, it was a disappointing result for a team that needs a win on almost a nightly basis to get back in the playoff hunt. As the losses continue to pile up, so will the trade rumors. Notably veteran Mark Canha was asked about the impending trade deadline after the game, “It’s something that’s not under my control and as an athlete I’m just trying to control what I can control. It’s not really anything that I have any say or power over, so there’s no point in me focusing on that.”

With the loss, New York drops to 46-53 on the season. As a result, they are 7.5 games back of the San Francisco Giants who own the last Wild Card spot.

Player of the Game: Brandon Nimmo

Nimmo was the only Mets’ player with two hits Sunday night. Nimmo’s single in the sixth inning moved Danny Mendick to second, where he eventually scored after Lindor’s RBI single. Nimmo also beat out an infield single in the eighth inning. He accounted for a third of the Mets’ hits on Sunday night.

Statistic of the Game: Canha’s Hat-Trick Of Assists

Mark Canha is the first Mets’ outfielder with three assists in a game since Endy Chavez on June 4, 2006, according to Sarah Langs of MLB.com.

It took Canha until his 3,179th inning in left field to record an assist that didn’t involve another player In other words, his first one as a left fielder where his throw went directly to the player who got the tag out, according to Mark Simon of Sports Info Solutions.

After the game, Buck Showalter spoke on the heads up plays by his veteran outfielder, “I think tonight was a great example as to why people like having Mark Canha on their team. He can play third, he can play first, and he can play all three.”

On Deck:

The Mets (46-53) will have the day off Monday before heading to the Bronx for the second and final series with the New York Yankees. Justin Verlander is projected to take the mound for the Mets in Game 1 of the series against Domingo German. The series will only be two games.