Outfield, Baserunning Miscues Cost Mets in 3-1 Loss at Cleveland

Mistakes in the field and on the bases cost the Mets a 3-1 loss Monday to Cleveland (31-17).

Francisco Lindor went 0-for-4 in his return to Cleveland for the first time since he was traded in 2021. Lindor, who played six years in Cleveland, making the All-Star team four times, was greeted with warm applause before his first at-bat.

“Well, I walked in through a different route,” he said before the game. “I usually come in through a players’ parking lot. This time, I came through a tunnel. So it was different. But I missed it. I missed it. This was my home for a while, and it feels great to be here.”

With two outs and a runner on first in the first inning, Josh Naylor singled to left, and Brandon Nimmo misplayed the ball, allowing runners to advance to second and third. David Fry followed with a two-run single. Tomás Nido homered in the third to cut the Guardian lead to 2-1. Kyle Manzardo doubled in a run for the Guardians in the fourth for a 3-1 Cleveland lead.

Tylor Megill (0-1) took the loss in his return to the mound for the first time since March 31, when he left with a right shoulder strain. He gave up three runs (two earned) on four hits in five innings. He fanned seven and walked two.

“He’s healthy, ready to go,” manager Carlos Mendoza told reporters before the game. “Happy to have him back in the rotation. Want to stay in the attack, and be aggressive in the zone. Use all of his pitches, but just staying on the attack. But it’s good to have him back in the rotation.” Mendoza said Megill is part of the rotation moving forward, and this was not a one-off start.

Starling Marte returned to the locker room in the fourth inning after getting ejected for arguing balls and strikes with home plate umpire Manny Gonzalez. It was the second ejection of Marte’s career, his first in eight years.

Marte was also tagged out attempting to return to first on a rare 1-6-5-3 double play. Marte hit a hard ground ball up the middle that pitcher Ben Lively snagged, who turned and threw to second to trap J.D. Martinez in a rundown. After Martinez was tagged out between second and third, third baseman José Ramírez fired to first to catch Marte trying to slide head-first back into the base.

New York’s best chance to score came in the sixth when Brett Baty struck out with the bases loaded and two out. Baty went 0-for-4 with three whiffs and grounded out to first to end the game.

Lindor Talks Pressure Pre-Game

“I’ve always had the pressure,” he said. “There’s nobody out there that wants it more than me. I’ve always had the pressure to try to be the best version of Francisco Lindor I can be. This is good pressure. I love that pressure… “You know, it’s baseball. You have ups and downs, you have good moments, and you have bad moments. It’s part of the journey, you got to understand it. You have to embrace it. You got to stay the course. You got to continue to climb, day in and day out.”

Kodai Senga Update

Mendoza was asked about Kodai Senga before the game. “He went out, played catch, did his long toss, got on the mound but felt something on his tricep,” he said. “So it got tight, and he didn’t throw a bullpen. Doctors took a look at him, we’re not concerned. He’s not throwing today, and then hopefully he throws again tomorrow, and then he probably will be throwing a bullpen by the end of the week again.”

Stat of the Game: 0-for-4 RISP

A common theme of the year, and quite frankly the past decade, for the Mets has been their constant struggle with runners in scoring position. That trend continued tonight against the Guardians, as they couldn’t get anything done offensively with exception to Nido’s solo homer.

The team also went hitless against Cleveland’s bullpen for 3.1 innings, and struck out a total of 11 times on the night.

Player of the Game

Pete Alonso earns POTG honors for the night. The slugger went 2-for-4 to raise his slash line to .235/.309/.454, extending his hitting streak to six games. While the Polar Bear got off to a slow start this season, a recent change in perspective has him off to the races.

Tomás Nido gets a shout out as well, giving the Mets their only run of the night on a solo shot.

On Deck

Adrian Houser (0-3, 7.44 ERA) will try to get the Mets back on track against former Met Carlos Carrasco (2-4, 5.16 ERA) in a 6:10 p.m. ET game that will air on SNY.

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