Mets Can’t Capitalize on Phils’ Gaffes, Lose 6-5 in Series Opener
As much as the Philadelphia Phillies tried to give the New York Mets the game on Friday, in the end it was the Phillies who were celebrating on the field with a 6-5 victory at Citizens Bank Park. The Phils played sloppy baseball throughout, letting two fly balls reach the field untouched and getting a runner thrown out at third, but it was a poor (and late) tag by Wilson Ramos in the bottom of the ninth that sealed the Mets’ fate.
Again the lack of clutch hitting hurt the Mets as they were a dreadful 2-for-16 with runners in scoring position. They managed to tie the game in the ninth on a two-out single by Robinson Cano, but Seth Lugo was unable to send the game into extras as the Phils scored in the bottom of the ninth to break a three-game losing streak. With the loss, the Mets were unable to win a third straight game for the first time this season.
Pitching
Walker Lockett made the emergency start for the Mets when Jacob deGrom was scratched due to neck stiffness.
After the Mets took a 2-0 lead, the Phils tied it on RBI singles by Alec Bohm and Roman Quinn. The Mets re-took the lead 4-2 and held it to the bottom of the fifth when early MVP candidate J.T. Realmuto slugged a three-run homer to give Philadelphia the lead, 5-4. It was Realmuto’s eighth homer of the year to go along with 20 RBIs.
Lockett went six innings, threw 84 pitches allowing five runs on seven hits. He now sports a 7.50 ERA.
Dellin Betances and Justin Wilson each pitched a scoreless inning for New York.
The Mets couldn’t capitalize on several opportunities until the ninth when Phil’s closer Hector Neris blew the save and allowed the Mets to tie the score at 5-5.
Seth Lugo entered the game in the ninth and was met rudely with two consecutive singles by Andrew McCutchen and Roman Quinn. After two were out, Bryce Harper hit a sharp liner to right for a base hit. Michael Conforto fielded the ball cleanly and threw a laser to Ramos who was late applying the tag on Quinn allowing the Phils to score and win the game in walk-off fashion.
Offense
The Mets managed 12 hits on the evening.
New York scored single runs in the first and second. Dominic Smith hit into a fielder’s choice scoring Brandon Nimmo to give the Mets the early lead. In the second, Mets sudden offensive star Luis Guillorme drove in Andres Gimenez to give the Mets a 2-0 lead.
Guillorme has started four straight games for the Mets and has gone 8-for-12 in that stretch. Guillorme is slashing .474/.500/.556 after a three-hit night on Friday.
In the fifth, Smith hit a sole home run, his fifth of the year to make the score 3-2 Mets. The next batter, Cano, followed with a four-bagger of his own, smashing a liner deep into the right field seats. It was his second homer of the year and Mets’ advantage grew to 4-2.
In the ninth, Nimmo and Conforto singled to get the inning off to a promising start. After two were out, Cano,singled to right, scoring Nimmor to tie the score at 5-5.
On Deck
The Mets try to even the series up with the Phils on Saturday, an hour earlier than Friday’s game. Steven Matz (0-3, 8.20 ERA) gets the start for the Mets. Matz has struggled recently. He allowed eight runs to the Washington Nationals last out and some were wondering if he is tipping his pitches. The Mets desperately need Matz to get back on his game given the state of the Mets rotation.
Aaron Nola (1-1, 2.79 ERA) will be on the mound for the Phils. He has been dominant in his last two outings striking out 12 Yankees in his last start and 10 Braves in his start before that. Nola, who finished third in last year’s Cy Young voting, will test the Mets severely on Saturday.
The game starts at 6:05 PM and will be telecast by SNY and broadcast on WCBS-880 AM.
