With the Tragic Number at 2, the “Playoff Push” is in serious jeopardy… The Mets (64-79) lost to the Nationals (75-69) Tuesday night by a score of 6-3.
Dillon Gee got the start for New York and quickly put himself in a hole, giving up a run in each of the first three innings, including a pair of home runs. The Mets started slowly against Washington’s Jordan Zimmermann, but got a run in the 4th on an RBI single from the red-hot Justin Turner.
After Gee gave up another run in the 6th, the Mets made it a ballgame when Matt den Dekker drove in a pair of runs with a liner over the shortstop’s head, cutting Washington’s deficit to 4-3. However, the Mets were unable to get the one final run they needed to tie it up, as Wilson Ramos nailed the potential tying run twice at second base (catching MdD stealing in the 6th and nabbing Eric Young in the 7th). Scott Hairston put his former team to bed with a home run off of Byrdak, and the Mets were on their way to yet another loss.
Let’s start with the negatives. Dillon Gee had a rare weak start, finding himself unable to settle into a groove. Gee ended up with 6.1 innings of 4-run ball with five strikeouts, nine hits allowed, and no walks.
Can somebody tell the Nationals that they are not playing in Yankee Stadium? They have been treating Citi Field like a bandbox these past 2 days, while the Mets have been unable to find the power stroke.
Did I mention that Justin Turner was red-hot? Well, he’s also probably out for the season, after leaving the game with a leg injury. It looked like a hammy or something similar… and with that usually meaning 2-4 weeks on the DL, why rush him back?
Terry Collins knows he has an expiring contract, right? Collins made a baffling move, putting in Lefty Specialist Tim Byrdak in to face Lefty Killer Scott Hairston. The result? A game-sealing 2-run shot to left.
But on the bright side, the youth movement was in effect tonight. Vic Black looked solid in his Citi Field debut, tossing a scoreless innings. Travis d’Arnaud broke a hitless spell with his 3rd career multi-hit game, and threw a bullet down to 2nd base to wipe Ian Desmond off the basepaths.
Matt den Dekker drove in 2 runs with a single in the 6th and swiped a bag (although he was also caught stealing in this game).
Did the Mets lose? Yes. Have we been losing night after night with no end in sight? Yes. It is frustrating… for me, for you, for the players, and for the ownership. But night after night, we see something that shows that some of the pieces for a successful future are in place… it is now up to the front office to build upon these blocks.
The Mets will face off against the Nationals again tomorrow, with Zack Wheeler (7-4, 3.38 ERA) facing off against Dan Haren (8-13, 5.23 ERA) at 7:10 PM.
