The Mets (29-37) lost to the Brewers (40-27) on Thursday night by a score of 5-1 in 13 innings at Citi Field.
Jon Niese got the start for the Mets and was fantastic, allowing one run on six hits and a walk in 7.2 innings, striking out eight and throwing 97 pitches.
The Brewers scored first in the top of the 2nd, on a solo shot by Aramis Ramirez. Niese got himself into a few of uncomfortable spots thanks to a couple hit batsmen and some scattered singles, but cruised for much of the night.
The Mets got their lone run off of Kyle Lohse in the bottom of the 4th. Daniel Murphy opened the frame with a single to center, and ended up on 3rd after the ball somehow got by Carlos Gomez. Murphy then scored on a sacrifice fly from Bobby Abreu.
With 2 outs and Niese rolling in the top of the 8th, Gomez hit the lefty’s 97th pitch of the night into center for a base hit. Terry Collins came out of the dugout to make a double switch and bring in a reliever, and a visibly upset Niese didn’t take it very well.
Jeurys Familia came in and got the 3rd out, and breezed through the top of the 9th. The Mets had the winning run in scoring position in the bottom of the 9th, but Ruben Tejada grounded out to send the two teams to extras.
The Mets had a runner in scoring position once again in the bottom of the 10th, but Eric Campbell failed to drive in the run with two outs.
The Mets looked like they might win it in the bottom of the 11th after David Wright walked, stole 2nd, and advanced to 3rd on a grounder with only 1 out. Alas, after Chris Young worked a walk and Curtis Granderson was intentionally walked to load the bases, Wilmer Flores was unable to get the ball in the air, instead grounding out to 1st baseman Mark Reynolds, who threw home to erase Wright. With 2 outs, Anthony Recker came up to the plate looking to be the hero, but on a 2-2 pitch, Recker was rung up by Angel Hernandez on a pitch that did not appear to be in the strike zone. A furious Recker was ejected, and the teams headed to the 12th.
Carlos Torres worked in and out of trouble in the 12th, but after coming out for a 2nd inning, after having appeared in the previous night’s game, the righty looked absolutely exhausted in the 13th. The Brewers tagged Torres for four runs, the last of which was charged to Carlos despite scoring when Dana Eveland hit Rickie Weeks with the bases loaded.
The Mets went down 1-2-3 in the bottom of the 13th against Francisco Rodriguez to end the ballgame, giving New York a rather depressing loss.
Well, that wasn’t much fun. The Mets didn’t hit tonight, and couldn’t get it done despite having several chances to win it late.
Niese was fantastic, and had every right to be upset when he was taken out. Terry made some pretty questionable moves in this game. Pulling Niese earlier than he had to, and pulling josh Edgin after facing only 1 hitter… this is why the Mets always have a tired bullpen, and maybe it’s why Terry somehow convinced himself that leaving Torres in so long was a decent idea.
The Mets can’t be making money right now. The crowds are just pathetic. You could really notice this when Niese left to a very weak ovation after a very strong performance. It’s really just a question of whether Fred Wilpon’s bank account can hold up long enough for him to reach his dream of being able to hand the team on to Jeffy. He’s a pretty rich guy despite all of his Mets-and-Madoff-related problems, so the Wilpons are probably here for the long haul, in my opinion.
The one thing I loved about tonight’s game? The broadcast was amazing. No commercials, no annoying jingles or slogans, just the SNY broadcast team talking baseball and exploring Citi Field all night long. They even sent Kevin out there to do some groundskeeping at one point. The lack of a commercial breaks seemed to make it less frustrating when the Mets made the third out at the end of each inning. The Mets should definitely do this more often.
Up Next:
The Mets will begin a 3-game series with the San Diego Padres on Friday night at Citi Field. Bartolo Colon (5-5, 4.31 ERA) will face off against Andrew Cashner (2-5, 2.13 ERA).
Yep. “2-5, 2.13 ERA.” Maybe he belongs on our team…
Game Notes:
Curtis Granderson was not in the lineup originally due to an issue with his calf. Zack Wheeler came in to pinch-run for Granderson after his intentional walk. LGM!
