Two back-to-back disappointing outcomes ensured the Mets had to settle for a split with the Nationals in Washington.
After some explosive extra-innings fireworks helped New York take the first two games of the series, they proceeded to lay an egg in the next two encounters, which included a really lethargic effort on July 4. The offense was a no-show in the series finale, with Jesse Winker‘s pinch-hit solo home run in the eighth inning providing enough to win the game.
With the Mets now on the way to Pittsburgh for a four-game set against the Pirates, let’s dive into today’s 3 Up, 3 Down…
Mandatory Credit: Rafael Suanes-USA TODAY Sports
This year has largely been a struggle for Jose Quintana. However, he has started to turn it around as of late, culminating in another solid start on July 4. The veteran pitched seven shutout innings while allowing four hits, three walks and striking out one. It wasn’t as easy an outing as the stats suggest, but Quintana did become the first starter this season to throw seven scoreless innings with fewer than two strikeouts. Furthermore, the lefty is now undefeated over his last four starts with a stellar 1.16 ERA. If Quintana can continue pitching like this, he could prove to be an attractive trade chip at the deadline. As such, his departure could bring back the kind of bullpen help the Mets so desperately need.
There appears to be tangible light at the end of the tunnel for Kodai Senga. The ace finally made a minor league rehab start on Wednesday, and it was well worth the wait. Senga was electrifying, striking out six and not allowing a baserunner over 2 2/3 innings for High-A Brooklyn, which was exactly what the Mets were hoping to see out of their elite starter. Barring any further setbacks, it is feasible to think that Senga could be ready to re-join the Mets after the All-Star break, and that’s certainly reason to rejoice.
There are few iron-clad guarantees in life. The Mets sucking in extra-innings was one of them coming into this series, however. They were 3-8 in extra-inning games, and failed to score a run in the 10th inning a staggering eight times (as of May 28). That wasn’t the case in Washington, though. Flipping the script in dramatic fashion, New York made history by becoming the first team in at least the last half-century to score five-plus extra-innings runs in consecutive games. That’s impressive. In all, the Mets piled on 11 extra-innings runs over two games. So, in a flash, they went from a team that couldn’t record a single run in extra-innings to one that all of a sudden couldn’t stop racking them up. This team never fails to amaze and surprise this year.
Mandatory Credit: Rafael Suanes-USA TODAY Sports
Mets fans missed out on some July 4 fireworks from their team. In the finale, needing a win to take the series, the offense instead went dead cold as the lineup managed just one hit all game. As a result, the Mets have now been shutout seven times this year, and we’re still just in July. The offensive no-show wasted a good outing from Quintana, but more importantly, this was a game the Mets should have had. Given how tight the Wild Card race is, you can’t really afford to drop back-to-back games in Washington.
Christian Scott learned an important lesson in his first start back in the bigs on Wednesday. Even when things are going well, you can always be tested at any given moment. Armed with a 5-1 lead, Scott had allowed just one run before one bad pitch turned into a three-run homer, making it a 5-4 game before the bullpen eventually gave away the game. For Scott, it was a tough moment given how well he had pitched in his first start with the Mets since May 30. You can argue that Scott shouldn’t even have been in the game at that point given he didn’t have his best stuff. However, you only learn from making mistakes, and the rookie should be better for this experience moving forward.
If the Mets can make it to the trade deadline without their bullpen totally falling off a cliff, then consider that a minor miracle. The ‘pen is absolutely gassed right now, and New York is losing games because of it. The club’s relievers gave up five hits in the series opener – four in extra-innings – before Reed Garrett managed to escape with the win. The unit then blew a 5-4 lead on Wednesday before Adrian Houser gave up a home run to Winker that proved to be the lone run of the game on Thursday. Granted, Houser has been great out of the bullpen for the Mets, but that was one costly mistake. This team needs a lot of bullpen help, and quick. With the trade deadline still weeks away, it is hard to envision how the Mets are going to survive without adding more proven bodies to that bullpen. If they wait until the end of the month, it may well be too late anyway given how things went in this series.
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