Díaz Blows Two-Run Lead In Ninth, Phillies Win 5-4 In Extras

The Mets (19-21) are nearly a quarter of the way through the 2024 season, and just now are they facing the division rival Phillies (29-13) for the first time. Entering Monday’s action, the Mets have been subpar to average, whereas the Phillies have had the best record and the second-best run differential in baseball. The first meeting between these two teams this year was a wild affair, and the Phillies came out victorious, 5-4 in ten innings.

The Phillies scored first off Sean Manaea (2-1, 3.05 ERA) on a couple of tough fielding plays in the second inning. Bryson Stott reached first base on a weak ground ball that he probably should have been out on, and he later came home on a Garrett Stubbs bunt with two outs that Stubbs beat out for a hit.

That was the only run Manaea allowed, and he exited the game after six impressive innings for his third quality start of the season. In addition to his one run allowed, Manaea gave up just four hits and a walk and struck out six. With his effort, Manaea lowered his ERA through eight starts to 3.05.

The Mets entered the bottom of the second inning down 1-0, but they rebounded nicely against Cristopher Sánchez (2-3, 3.43 ERA), countering the Phillies’ one run with two of their own. Pete Alonso, who’s looking more and more comfortable at the plate, led off the inning with a double over the center fielder’s head before J.D. Martinez followed with a double of his own, driving in Alonso. Then, with two outs and runners on the corners, Tomás Nido poked a ground ball through the right side of the infield to put the Mets in front.

There was a chance for the Mets to open the floodgates the following inning, and despite scoring a run, they left a lot of meat on the bone. Cristopher Sánchez struggled to open the inning and loaded the bases with no outs. He then walked J.D. Martinez to bring in a run, which looked like the beginning of a disaster for Sánchez, but he rebounded to strike out the next three batters on nine pitches. The Mets ended the inning with a 3-1 lead but had a chance to score much more. That, of course, wound up coming back to bite the Mets.

Manaea’s strong outing kept the lead at 3-1 heading into the seventh inning when Jorge López took over. López did get into trouble, allowing two base hits to put runners on the corners with no outs before a fielder’s choice brought home a run to bring the Phillies within one.

Having seen enough after just nine pitches thrown, Carlos Mendoza yanked López in favor of Adam Ottavino with a runner on third and one out. Mendoza’s aggressiveness paid off, as Ottavino recorded the final two outs without allowing the runner on third to score.

Just as they had in the second inning, the Mets responded once again to the Phillies’ run that they scored in the top of the seventh. With one out in the bottom of the inning, Pete Alonso and J.D. Martinez reached base before Tyrone Taylor, pinch-hitting for Brett Baty, chopped a ground ball under Alec Bohm‘s glove to score Alonso and put the Mets back in front by two runs.

Up to this point, the game had been pretty ordinary. It wasn’t until the top of the ninth, with the Phillies down 4-2, things got out of hand. Edwin Díaz came into the game with a save chance, but his unusual early-season struggles continued. Díaz allowed a leadoff home run to Bryson Stott before allowing two more baserunners. With runners on first and second and two outs, Whit Merrifield walked, although it appeared he clearly went around on the 3-1 pitch. Carlos Mendoza was furious, but Merrifield was awarded first base.

That was significant because the very next batter, Alec Bohm, was hit by a pitch on the hands to bring the runner from third home to tie the game. The Mets had only given up two runs through the first eight innings, but Díaz imploded to allow two himself in the ninth. He managed to finish the inning without allowing any more damage, but the heart of the Mets lineup went down in order in the bottom of the inning to send the game to extras.

With Sean Reid-Foley on the mound, Bryson Stott drove home a Phillies run on a sacrifice fly to put them in front for the first time since the second inning. The Mets got out of the inning when Nick Castellanos curiously tried to steal second base. In the bottom of the inning and down one, the Mets couldn’t advance the runner from second base, which secured the team a pretty dreadful and avoidable loss. The Mets fall back to two games below .500, while the Phillies maintain the best record in baseball.

Statistic of the Game: Manaea Joins Impressive Company

After lowering his ERA on the season to 3.05, Manaea owns the lowest ERA by a left-handed pitcher in his first eight games with the Mets since Al Leiter in 1998. Leiter had a fantastic first season with the Mets, recording a 2.47 ERA in 28 starts. It would be beyond anybody’s wildest expectations if Manaea finished the season with those numbers, but if he can continue to pitch at the rate he’s pitching, the Mets will be very pleased.

Player of the Game

J.D. Martinez had a major impact on this game, going 3-for-4 with two doubles, a walk, and two RBIs. Martinez hasn’t had the power numbers we’re used to seeing from him early in his Mets tenure, however, he’s done a good job behind Pete Alonso in the lineup and is starting to look much more comfortable as he continues to get acclimated with the Mets. Following Monday’s game, Martinez owns a .302 batting average and a .785 OPS.

On Deck

The Mets and Phillies continue their series Tuesday afternoon at Citi Field. José Buttó (1-2, 3.00 ERA) takes the mound for New York, while Aaron Nola (4-2, 3.67 ERA) takes the mound for Philadelphia.

Buttó has struggled in three career starts against the Phillies, going 0-for-2 with an 8.36 ERA. On the other hand, Nola has made a full season’s worth of career appearances against the Mets, and he’s gone 9-8 with a 3.40 ERA in 26 starts.

Tuesday’s game will air on SNY and MLB Network.

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