Credit: Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports
Trevor Williams and Sean Reid-Foley were called upon to get the Mets through the first part of Saturday’s game. But for the first time in 2022, the lack of rotation depth with Jacob deGrom on the shelf reared its ugly head as Williams gave up four runs in a spot start and Reid-Foley had to leave the game earlier than planned.
It culminated in a messy 5-2 loss for the Mets who were unable to get hot at the plate, and the Mets will hope Taijuan Walker‘s impending return from shoulder bursitis will allow Williams and Reid-Foley to return to their long-relief roles.
With no starter available on full rest due to playing a double-header against the Giants earlier in the week, manager Buck Showalter opted for a bullpen game with Williams getting the ball to start.
It was the righty’s fourth start in a Mets uniform–first this season–after being acquired from the Cubs as part of the Javier Báez trade in 2021, and it was arguably his worst outing with the team.
Williams’ struggles started right away as Daulton Varsho and David Peralta both singled, and a potential double-play ball was dropped by Pete Alonso that allowed Varsho to score and get the Diamondbacks on the board.
Williams did get out of a tricky first inning without sustaining further damage after Seth Beer grounded out, but the worst was to come with Carson Kelly, Sergio Alcantara and Geraldo Perdomo all hitting singles in the bottom of the second. A Varsho single brought Kelly home, and a Ketel Marte ground out then allowed Alcantara to score.
The Mets were put into a 3-0 hole with Williams really struggling to locate his fastball, going to that particular pitch 53% of the time with just a 5% whiff rate.
He leaned on the fastball with Christian Walker at the plate to start the third and, again, it failed him with Walker hitting a double out to left field.
That proved to be the end of Williams’ tough night on the mound, with the 29-year-old allowing four runs on seven hits in two-plus innings pitched with no strikeouts and no walks.
It was a rough outing and it didn’t fit the narrative of how good Mets starters have been so far in 2022, with the rotation entering Saturday ranked first in MLB with a sparkling 2.07 ERA.
Williams was honest when assessing his own performance.
“You know, the results weren’t there, physically or mentally,” Williams said. “Only going two innings knowing I was on a limited pitch count hurts the bullpen, but the guys that came in behind me stepped up and made some big pitches.”
Reid-Foley came in for relief for Williams in the third but, like his colleague, he struggled right out of the gate as he walked Beer before giving up a double to Pavin Smith which allowed Walker to score to give the Diamondbacks a 4-0 lead.
However, credit where credit is due, Reid-Foley dug in and he gutted out the rest of the inning to force Kelly and Alcantara to fly out, before striking out Perdomo with a fastball that touched 97.8 mph.
The righty found himself in a real groove afterward as he retired seven straight batters, finding success with a good mix of his fastball and his slider, using the latter pitch 47% of the time with a 44% whiff rate.
But, after walking Beer in the fifth and then giving up a single to Smith, Reid-Foley was forced to leave the game with leg cramps with Adam Ottavino replacing him on the mound.
Overall, it was a tough night for the Mets who finally got let down by a lack of pitching depth, with Williams’ early struggles providing a mountain too big to climb.
The good news, however, is that after striking out seven in three innings of solid work in a rehab start last week, Walker should be nearing a return, which will give this rotation the boost it needs.
