The top of the ninth inning Tuesday started with Devin Williams on the mound in a tie game. It ended with what was left of the 32,798 who came to Citi Field hoping to witness the end of the Mets’ longest losing streak in 22 years chanting “Austin Warren.”
In between, Williams was wild. He walked the first batter he faced on four pitches. He walked his second batter on six. Kody Clemens bunted to first baseman Mark Vientos, who tried to throw out the lead man at third, but pinch-runner James Outman beat the play and the bases were loaded with nobody out.
Luke Keaschall bounced a single over a drawn-in infield to give the Twins a 4-3 lead and then Williams walked Matt Wallner to bring in another run. Carlos Mendoza had seen enough. Williams faced five men, didn’t get an out and threw only nine of 21 pitches for strikes. His ERA jumped to an unsightly 9.95.
The 31-year-old closer didn’t give up a run in his first five outings. In his last three, he’s given up seven earned runs and recorded four outs. On Sunday in Chicago, Michael Conforto hit a game-tying double off of him in the ninth. Last week in Los Angeles, Dalton Rushing connected for a grand slam that gave the Dodgers a 7-1 lead in the eighth.
Photo Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images
Mendoza was asked to assess Williams’ struggles.
“Today, the command,” the manager said. “Obviously getting behind hitters, not able to execute and then once you start walking people, you’re in dangerous territory there. He’s got to come back in the zone and then when he’s getting behind, good hitters are going to make him pay. But I think overall today just the walks kind of hurt him there.”
The Mets (7-16) are now faced with trying to become the first team in MLB history to make the playoffs after losing a dozen games in a row. They have the worst record in baseball.
“It’s tough,” Williams told reporters. “I don’t know, I’ve never been a part of something like this. I think we just need to get the one win out of the way and I think everything else will take care of itself, but it’s obviously proving pretty difficult right now.
“Every day is a new day, right? We have a chance to win a game every day. Right now, everyone knows the situation and it’s just kind of stacking on top of each other.”
If you are looking for a bright spot, or a green shoot as Steve Cohen called it, Warren came into the bases-loaded, none-out jam and struck out the side. At least those who stuck around had something to cheer about.
