The Mets squared off against the Pittsburgh Pirates today at Citi Field, with rookie Jacob deGrom making his third major league start against Brandon Cumpton.
What you should know:
deGrom was solid, pitching 6 and 2/3 innings, allowing five hits and striking out four. He also walked five Pirates hitters, but limited the damage and didn’t allow a run. In his first three major league starts, deGrom has pitched wonderfully, but has yet to win a game. He’s taken two tough luck losses, and now a no-decision.
Brandon Cumpton also had a good outing for Pittsburgh, allowing seven hits and only one earned run over a span of six innings.
The Mets first two runs came in the bottom of the 5th, as Daniel Murphy lined a ball into right field to score Jacob deGrom. Juan Lagares then was called out at the plate after trying to advance after a throwing error, The call was later over-turned, as Russel Martin was blocking the plate on the play.
The Mets held the lead going into the bottom of the 8th, 2-0. Scott Rice allowed a solo shot to Gaby Sanchez. Jose Valverde, who was subsequently released after the game, came on next and was miserable, allowing four hits and four earned runs, taking the loss.
Lucas Duda would hit a solo home run in the bottom of the ninth, but nothing would come into fruition, as the Mets would not score again and end up losing the game.
Vic Black is en route to New York and will take Valverde’s spot on the roster.
After the game, the Mets also fired hitting coach Dave Hudgens. Lamar Johnson will take over the position for the remainder of the season.
Thoughts:
Well, even if Dave Hudgens wasn’t all to blame for the Mets’ offensive woes, a change had to be made, and I have a hunch it isn’t just going to stop here. From what I can gather, Terry is also on thin ice at this point, and unless things turn around, Terry and the rest of the coaching staff might be next. The Mets are now 7-17 in the month of May.
As for Valverde, I thought his time was up a long time ago, and I’m honestly surprised he stuck around as long as he did. In his hay day, Valverde was an elite closer in baseball. He is now an aging, replaceable bullpen arm. I wouldn’t be surprised if he catches on somewhere else, but his days in New York needed to be through. Now Vic Black gets a chance to see what he’s got.
After a solid April, the Mets have come back to earth and are slowly slipping into irrelevance. Again. Yes, it’s still early, but unless a big change is made, and soon, the Mets will miss the postseason for the eighth straight season, and the notion that Sandy Alderson thinks that the team he constructed could win 90 games is laughable at this point.
Additional notes:
Ike Davis made his return to Queens and got mixed reactions, as about half of the fans boo’ed and the other half cheered. He would end up going 0-2 with a walk at the plate in the Pirates’ win.
Matt den Dekker made his first appearance of the season and struck out in his only at-bat.
Final score: Pirates 5, Mets 3
Winning pitcher: Tony Watson (5-0)
Losing pitcher: Jose Valverde (1-1)
Save: Mark Melancon (9)
On deck:
The Mets look to even the series Tuesday night against the Bucs, with Jonathon Niese facing off against Edinson Volquez.
