Livescore
What a week it’s been for the Mets. An amazing, exhausting, unbelievable, grueling, magical week.
Just think, the week began on Monday – a day after the regular season was scheduled to end – with New York (after a travel journey from hell) playing a doubleheader against the Atlanta Braves with trips to the postseason on the line. Remember? When Francisco Lindor homered in the top of the ninth to give the Mets an eventual 8-7 win and send his team to the playoffs? Feels like months ago.
In the week that’s transpired since then, New York is finally going back home to Citi Field with a split of the NLDS with the Philadelphia Phillies, 1-1.
It’s an incredible position to be in for the Mets, especially considering that the Phillies finished the regular season with an MLB-best 54-27 record at home. And yet, after Sunday’s 7-6 loss, it’s hard not to feel like an opportunity was wasted.
Not only was New York up 3-0 going into the sixth inning with Luis Severino cruising on the mound, but after Philadelphia tied it (more on that later), the Mets immediately regained the lead on Brandon Nimmo’s solo shot in the seventh. That is, of course, until the eighth inning when the Phillies struck again, this time against Edwin Diaz who had gotten the final out in the seventh and Philadelphia’s dangerous part of the lineup looming.
Even after the Phillies scored three times against Diaz in the eighth to take a 6-4 lead, the Mets proved once again that they are impossible to kill, tying the game on Mark Vientos’ second two-run homer of the night.
That’s what makes Sunday’s loss that much more devastating; time and time again New York found ways to come back. But in a week where the Mets seemed to have their craziest and best wins of the season, if not their history, Sunday was a reminder of the warts on this team, particularly in the pitching department.
Let’s start with Severino who had the Phillies completely befuddled for 5.2 innings. In fact, after covering the bag at first base for a groundout and the second out of the frame, the FOX broadcast mentioned how Severino looked like he had a bit of swagger to him, like he knew what he was doing on the mound was dominant.
And it was.
But after that second out it all came crashing down, and in a hurry – a testament to the Phillies’ potent lineup and a humbling experience for the right-hander. Trea Turner singled before Bryce Harper got the dejected crowd right back into it with a monster blast to cut Philadelphia’s deficit to a skinny run. Nick Castellanos sent them into a frenzy after his solo shot tied the game.
Just like that, New York’s lead was gone.
“I feel really good about it,” Severino said about his outing. “I think in the whole game I missed three pitches and it was the base hit (to Turner) and the two homers (to Harper and Castellanos). This is a good lineup. I knew going up there I had to give my best stuff and if I make a bad pitch they would take advantage of that.”
But as mentioned above, Nimmo silenced the crowd in the next half-inning with a home run of his own. That’s when another wart, exacerbated by the Mets’ unfriendly schedule this week, popped up.
With few options in his bullpen, manager Carlos Mendoza went to Diaz to get the final out of the seventh inning with runners on first and second and Kyle Schwarber coming up. To his credit, the closer got Schwarber on a check swing to end the frame, but in the eighth Diaz wasn’t able to get the job done.
Diaz walked Harper in what was clearly a pitch-around before Castellanos singled to put runners on the corners and one out. Still pitching with a lead and a chance to get out of the inning, Diaz gave up a two-run triple to Bryson Stott and New York’s lead vanished again.
In his career, Diaz now has a 9.37 ERA in 16.1 innings pitched at Citizens Bank Park. Nobody might be happier to go back home than him.
“I went lazy to [Harper], instead of attacking him,” Diaz said. “I tried to make pitches to see if he would chase and get the out instead of going at him like I always do.”
Those are surprising words coming from a team’s closer, essentially admitting that he was afraid to get beat by the lefty slugger. Of course, heavy usage recently and a general lack of dominance this season surely contributed to that decision.
Still, after the game Diaz said he feels fine and that he’s “gotta be ready always” in “big moments” like that. Unfortunately for the Mets, on Sunday the moment proved too big for their closer.
Luckily, New York has an off day on Monday – something the team hasn’t had enough of lately – as they travel back home for the first time in two weeks. This should help alleviate some of the stress that their relievers have endured during this crazy week before returning to action on Tuesday.
In fact, Tuesday’s Game 3 at Citi Field will be the Mets’ first home game since Sept. 22 when they faced these same Phillies in their final regular season home game – a 2-1 win.
“Amazing. We took one out of two in here,” Severino said about how the team feels following the two games in Philadelphia. “We’ve been on the road for the last six months it feels like. It feels good that we’ve been winning games so we’re gonna go home, the crowd’s gonna be into it and we’re gonna win some games.”
As for who’s pitching? That honor will go to Sean Manaea who’s become the staff’s ace this season with his 3.47 ERA (1.08 WHIP) in 181.2 innings. The lefty will look to go deep into the game to give the bullpen some added rest which it surely needs.
If not, Mendoza will look for the next guy to step up with every game becoming more and more important.
“We saw it with [David] Peterson yesterday,” Mendoza said. “I thought [Tylor] Megill was good today. Yeah, you’re trying to stay away from different guys because you’re gonna need all of them and not only the high-leverage reliever guys are gonna be in the game, I’m gonna ask them to get huge outs. Everyone is gonna have to contribute.
“Off day tomorrow and then another important game on Tuesday, but no excuses. It’s been hard, but here we are. I’m just looking forward to getting back to Citi Field on Tuesday.”
Let’s see if the Mets can bring that magic they’ve been playing with lately to Queens.
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