The Mets lost their three-game series tie with the Boston Red Sox, 6-1, and are now 4-5 since the All-Star break.
Here are the takeaways…
– After the Mets bats quietly opposed Brennan Bernardino at the start of the first round, Carlos Carrasco was greeted by sudden red Jarren Duran with a first pitch single that put him in immediate danger with Duran’s speed.
The Mets took a break from that speed when Masataka Yoshida grounded slowly at third base, prompting Duran to push the envelope and attempt to advance to a vacated third base. Pete Alonso made a good throw to the sack, but Carrasco, who was covering base, couldn’t catch and the ball rolled into foul territory in left field. game alert, Marc Canha quickly got the ball back and hit home plate to catch Duran trying to score and the Mets turned a strange but fortuitous 5-3-1-7-2 double play.
With a chance to end the inning without awarding a run, Carrasco walked Justin Turner (after plate umpire Brian Walsh called a pitch in the middle of a ball that made the count 2-1 instead of 1-2), uncorked a wild pitch, walked Raphael Devers and allowed a simple RBI to Adam Duval who put the Red Sox on the board. It was the fourth straight game the Mets allowed a run in the first inning and during that span they themselves failed to score in the first.
– Consecutive singles to lead late in the second put Carrasco in danger again. However, this time the right-hander was able to escape without allowing a run thanks to a strikeout, lineout and ground.
– Carrasco wasn’t so lucky in the third set where things completely unraveled for him. Six straight hits to start the inning scored two runs, but it would have been more without another great play and an assist from Canha who kicked out Devers at third base on Duvall’s double. It would be the only out Carrasco was able to get in the inning, however, as a manager. Buck Showalter pulled it down 3-0 and with the bases loaded after three straight singles.
The 36-year-old left after 2.1 innings and allowed five earned runs on 10 hits, walked two and struck out two as his troubles at Fenway Park continued. His ERA is now at 5.82 on the season in 14 starts.
– Dealing with his own issues on the mound lately, Drew Smith came over to mop up Carrasco’s mess and allowed a single and threw a wild pitch that brought home another run. Both runs were charged to Carrasco and Smith ended the inning with a strikeout and a flyout, but the damage had already been done with Boston leading 5-0.
– Canha was back in the bottom of the fifth when he threw Triston Casas at second base trying to turn a single into a double for his third assist of the night.
It was one of the few bright spots for New York in this one, as the offense was largely flat throughout the game. With just two hits on the night at the start of the fifth inning, the Mets finally got on the board in fifth on Francois LindorRBI’s single that reached halfway through the Green Monster. Lindor’s hit also put runners in the corners with no one to give the Mets their first real threat of a big inning. But Jeff McNeil quickly lined up in front of Alonso and Marc Vientos removed to complete the frame without scoring another point.
–The Mets’ bullpen pitched well after Boston’s third four-run inning. Smith finished with three strikeouts in 1.2 innings, Trevor Got threw a scoreless fifth, David Peterson allowed a hit but struck out two in his working inning, Dominique Leon gave up a solo shot to Devers but nothing else and Adam Ottavino worked a scoreless eighth inning.
– New York had chances in the eighth and ninth innings to pull things together, but Daniel Vogelbachpinch shot for Vientos, out with runners at second and third to end the eighth inning and after Canha walked to lead the ninth, he was blocked at third base to end the game.
Strong points
And after
The Mets have the day off Monday before returning to action Tuesday night as they take on the Yankees in a two-game Subway series in the Bronx. The first pitch is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. on SNY.
HPR Justin Verlander will take the mound for the Mets, opposed by RHP german domingo for the Yanks.