Robert Gsellman had a bad day at the office Tuesday against the Cubs. After working in and out of trouble the first three innings, Chicago caught up to him in the fourth when they tallied four runs off him.
After walking Kyle Schwarber on four pitches to lead off the fourth inning, Jason Heyward singled to put runners on first and third. Javier Baez struck out swinging but then Cubs starter Jose Quintana laid down a successful safety squeeze bunt to score a run. He reached first base as the Mets tried to get the runner at the plate.
Ben Zobrist lined out to center field to bring Kris Bryant to the dish. The 2016 NL MVP smacked a three-run home run to put the Cubs on top for good. Anthony Rizzo grounded out to end both the inning and Gsellman’s night.
“All those walks are going to lead to runs eventually,” Gsellman said after the game.
All in all, Gsellman allowed four earned runs on five hits and five walks in 4.0 innings, striking out five. His ERA increased to a 5.58 mark for the season.
The Gsellman we saw in 2016 is nowhere to be found. Assuming the Mets have five healthy starters next season, the Mets should seriously consider moving him to the bullpen for 2018.
