Some might say that the Mets ran themselves out of a potential win on Saturday when they fell to the Nationals by a score of 1-0. It was the first time this season that the Mets were shutout.
There were two very significant base-running gaffes that might of made a difference in the game’s outcome.
In the first inning, with Juan Lagares on first base, Lucas Duda lined an opposite field double to left field which sent Lagares racing around second at full throttle. Third base coach Tim Teufel played it very aggressively and emphatically waved Lagares around third and heading for home where he was gunned down at the plate by Ian Desmond after Jayson Werth quickly relayed the ball to him.
Manager Terry Collins defended the decision saying:
“Yeah, once in awhile you’ve got to make them make a play,’’ Collins said. “The ball’s sitting in the corner down there and you’ve got certainly a guy who can run. Ian made a great throw.’’
Then in the sixth inning, second baseman Dilson Herrera committed a big blunder. With the Mets needing a run to tie and running out of time, Herrera singled on a soft grounder to short, but then got thrown out at second base while trying to stretch it into a double and the inning was over.
It was Herrera’s first hit since being called up, leading Collins to say, “That was an error of enthusiasm. He’ll learn.”
