An early exit for a dealing Jon Niese and an unfortunate relief appearance by Carlos Torres coupled with a key error led to a 3-1 loss to the Houston Astros in the final series opener of 2014.
Granderson began scoring with a solo shot to right with one out in the fourth, handing the Mets an early lead. The home run was Granderson’s 20th home run of the season, the seventh time he has reached that plateau in his career.
Jon Niese was having one of his better outings on the season before being pulled with one out in the sixth inning with an elevated heart rate. Niese, who has faced similar issues in-game before, threw just 66 pitches and had not allowed a run before exiting. The 27-year-old ends his season with a 3.40 ERA in 30 starts for the Mets this year, identical figures to his 2012 campaign.
Unfortunately for the Mets, Carlos Torres, who came in injury relief, was unable to continue the theme of dominant pitching following Niese’s early departure. With a run already plated on a Jose Altuve RBI single, Chris Carter followed with his 21st double of the season. Fast work from Eric Young Jr. and Wilmer Flores as Anthony Recker dropped the relay throw, allowing Altuve to come home safely and giving the Astros the lead. Carter would score later in the inning on a Matt Dominguez single, making it 3-1.
From there, the Mets offense was unable to rally, losing their 83rd game of the season. The Mets are now 38-41 at home, securing their fourth consecutive losing season when playing at Citi Field.
Rafael Montero will start for the Mets Saturday, taking on Samuel Deduno of Houston at 7:10 p.m.
