Offense Stagnant Again as Mets Lose 3-2 to Guardians
The offense mustered four hits, Tyler Rogers gave up three two-out singles in the seventh inning and the Mets lost 3-2 to the Guardians at Citi Field Tuesday to fall 2 1/2 games back of the Phillies in the National League East.
Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images
Steven Kwan drove in the go-ahead run with a ground-ball single up the middle off Rogers, who escaped more damage when he got José Ramírez to ground out with the bases loaded to end the inning. New York (63-51) was retired in order in the sixth, seventh, eighth and ninth innings. The Mets went 1-for-5 with runners in scoring position and have lost seven of eight games.
Before the loss, the Mets and Phillies had not been separated for first place by more than two games for a Mets record 50 days, per SNY. The previous mark was 47 days with the 2007 Braves.
Clay Holmes was perfect for the first three frames with five strikeouts, getting eight of the nine outs on sinkers.
“That’s where it starts today,” manager Carlos Mendoza told SNY during an in-game interview in the fourth inning. “Being able to just throw that pitch for strikes, especially against lefties. We know that against a lineup like this where they have a lot of lefties, the cutter, the change-up, but he’s using that sinker effectively tonight. … Overall, attacking hitters and we gonna need him.”
Holmes found trouble in the fourth, however, giving up two runs on a walk and three singles that knotted the game at 2. He pitched a 1-2-3 fifth inning and was done after 75 pitches. It was an improvement over his last time out (3 2/3 innings, four runs, eight hits) and an encouraging start to August after a poor month of July (4.91 ERA, 29 1/3 innings).
Holmes, a converted reliever, has thrown 122 1/3 innings this season, blowing by his previous career-high 70.
Gregory Soto threw a scoreless sixth, Brooks Raley did the same in the eighth and Ryan Helsley retired the side in order in the ninth.
The Mets scored a run apiece in the first two innings.
New York scored in the first without a hit on a Francisco Lindor walk, a balk, a wild pitch and a Pete Alonso sacrifice fly. The RBI was Alonso’s team-leading 91st. He started the night second in the National League in RBIs behind Kyle Schwarber.
In the second, Mark Vientos doubled, Jeff McNeil sacrifice bunted him to third and Tyrone Taylor broke an 0-for-19 skid with an RBI single. Lindor hit into an inning-ending double play with the bases loaded.
The crowd, which included Darryl Strawberry, was hoping to see history. Alonso is one homer shy of Strawberry’s franchise home run record. He went 1-for-3 with a single.
Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images
Stat of the Game
With Holmes lasting five innings, David Peterson is the only Mets starter to go six innings or more in their last 49 games, the longest single-season streak since at least 1901, per SNY.
On Deck
A 1:10 p.m. ET start for the series finale. It should be a beautiful afternoon to tie and/or break a home run record. Peterson (7-4, 2.83 ERA) faces RHP Gavin Williams (6-4, 3.33 ERA), who entered Tuesday leading the majors in walks allowed with 62. He’s also allowed 15 home runs. The game will air on SNY and MLB Network.
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