With 17 games left in the season going into Wednesday night’s game against the Orioles, the Mets were desperate for every win they can get. They entered play three games out of a playoff spot, needing a solid start from Rick Porcello. They did not get one.
Porcello’s night began inauspiciously, when Cedric Mullins led off with a single. After an out, singles by Renato Nunez, D.J. Stewart, and Ryan Mountcastle accounted for two runs, putting the Mets in two-run hole before they came to bat.
Porcello worked a scoreless second inning, though Chance Sisco led off the inning with a rope off the right field wall. Sisco was thrown out by Michael Conforto trying to stretch the hit into a double. After a Jeff McNeil single cut the deficit to 2-1 in the bottom of the second inning, the Mets needed Porcello to shut the Orioles down in the third. He did not.
Baltimore scored three runs, on four consecutive hits after the first out was recorded on a strikeout. The RBIs went to Rio Ruiz (two) and Hanser Alberto. Porcello pitched a scoreless fourth inning and was done for the night. His final was 4 IP, 10 H, 5 ER, 3 K.
Porcello’s ERA now stands at 6.07, very close to his 2019 ERA of 5.52 with Boston after which the Mets signed him to a one-year contract.
According to Baseball Savant, of the 18 hitters who put the ball in play off Porcello, eight hit the ball with an exit velocity of 90 mph or greater, and five had an exit velocity of 100 mph or greater. Porcello clearly was not fooling anyone in this game.
The Orioles came into the game with an aggressive approach, swinging at the first pitch with regularity. It’s a little surprising that a veteran like Porcello, paired with veteran catcher Robinson Chirinos, was not able to recognize the approach the Orioles were taking and use their aggressiveness against them.
On the season, Porcello now has allowed 57 hits and 10 walks over 43 IP, for a WHIP of 1.56. With up to four more starts expected for the remainder of the season, the Mets will need better work from Porcello, who has gone from the pre-season plan of a number five starter or swing man, to a member of the rotation on whom the Mets must rely.
