The Mets (73-59) were defeated by the Phillies (53-80) by a score of 14-8 Tuesday night at Citi Field.
Pitching:
Jon Niese started for the Mets and struggled for the third straight start. He labored through 5 innings allowing 6 earned runs on 7 hits, while walking 2 and striking out 2. He allowed 1 home run as his ERA increased to 4.17 on the season.
With the Mets losing 6-4, Bobby Parnell came in for his first appearance off the DL and was as ineffective as a pitcher could be. He walked the first two batters to face him, and when Freddy Galvis put down a sacrifice bunt, he sailed the throw to first down the line, allowing a run to score. He was removed from the game and gave way to Eric O’Flaherty, who subsequently walked the next batter to load the bases, and was immediately taken out of the game.
Carlos Torres then came in for damage control, however he immediately served up a double to Darnell Sweeney which scored 2 runs. Then, a Darin Ruf single and a Andres Blanco double increased the Phillies lead to 13-4. Carlos Ruiz then hit a sharp ground ball up the middle on which Ruben Tejada made a fantastic stop, but threw the ball in the dirt which Michael Cuddyer could not handle, leading to another run and a 14-4 deficit.
Bobby Parnell did not record an out, and had 3 runs charged to him (2 earned). Eric O’Flaherty also didn’t record an out and had an earned run charged to him as well. Carlos Torres ended up pitching a full inning, allowing 4 runs (3 earned) on 3 hits and a walk. The three combined to allow an 8-run inning.
Addison Reed made a great first impression with a perfect 8th inning, striking out one. His 93-94 mph fastball, 86-88 mph slider, and allegedly outstanding change-up (which he did not throw tonight) will hopefully fit nicely into the 7th inning role for which the Mets have had trouble finding a pitcher.
Erik Goeddel looked great in his return as he pitched a perfect 9th inning, lowering his ERA on the season to 1.88. He had some life on his fastball, hovering around 93 mph, which is a great sign.
Offense:
Yoenis Cespedes had the biggest night for the Mets, going 2-4 with a home run, triple, 2 runs scored, 2 RBIs, and 2 strikeouts. He set a new career high with his 27th home run of the season, his 9th as a Met.
David Wright had another good day at the plate, going 2-4 with a double. Michael Conforto also recorded 2 hits and a sac fly, continuing his hot streak and raising his average over .300 for the season.
Travis d’Arnaud went 1-2 with a walk, RBI single, and a run scored. Kelley Johnson, who pinch hit for Niese in the bottom of the 5th inning, recorded an RBI single as well.
Daniel Murphy and Wilmer Flores both recorded RBI singles, and Curtis Granderson chipped in with an RBI groundout as well.
With only the die-hard fans left in the stands in the 9th inning, Eric Campbell crushed a first-pitch double down the line with one out. After a Juan Lagares infield hit, Conforto hit a sac fly to score Campbell, the Mets’ last run of the game.
Notes:
The only player called up today for the expanded roster who did not play was Steven Matz. Erik Goeddel, Eric Young Jr, Kirk Nieuwenhuis, Bobby Parnell, Kevin Plawecki, and Eric Campbell all saw action.
This loss snapped a 10-game winning streak against the Phillies this season. The only other two seasons in which the Mets had a 10-game winning streak against a single team were in 1969 and 1986. Food for thought…
On Deck:
The Mets will look to bounce back tomorrow evening at Citi Field. Matt Harvey (11-7, 2.48 ERA) will seek his 12th win of the year for the Mets as he faces off against Phillies’ rookie Aaron Nola (5-1, 3.26 ERA) at 7:10 pm.
