The Mets saw their 6-1 lead slowly disappear Saturday afternoon at Citi Field. They lost 9-6 to the Houston Astros, breaking their four-game winning streak.
Here are the takeaways…
-The Mets’ bullpen, with a shortage of Edwin Diaz suspended, was tasked with protecting a 6-4 lead over the final 3.2 innings of the game, but this unraveled in the eighth inning.
Jake Diekman walked the first two batters he faced and although he got the next two outs, Carlos Mendoza changed in Reed Garrett to end the inning. But Garrett walked the pinch-hitter Trey Kool to load the bases to raise José Altuve. The right-hander threw a wild pitch to score a run and make it a 6-5 game, before eventually walking Altuve to put the game ahead Alex Bregman with the decisive run at second base.
Garrett worked Bregman into a 3-2 count and looked to strike him out with a cutter down and in, but the Houston third baseman was able to grab a piece of it on a foul tip to keep the at-bat alive. That proved costly when Bregman singled to right field on the next pitch to give the Astros a 7-6 lead, coming all the way from a 6-1 deficit in the third inning.
Things didn’t get any better in the ninth Danny Jong allowed a two-out, two-RBI double to Mauricio Dubonextending Houston’s lead to 9-6, allowing an easy ninth inning for the closer Josh Hader.
–Tylor Megill had an up-and-down start on Saturday, allowing four earned runs on five hits over the span of 5.1 innings.
The right-hander put the Mets in an early 1-0 hole after allowing an opposite-field home run to the Houston center fielder Jake Meyers in the second inning. But Megill got some space after the Mets took a 5-1 lead in the bottom half and extended it to 6-1 in the third before running into foul trouble in the fourth.
With two on and one off, Jeremy Peña ripped a two-RBI double into left field to cut the Astros’ deficit to 6-3. Jon Singleton continued to drive in Peña on the next at bat to make it 6-4 before Megill retired Dubòn and Cesar Salazar to end the inning.
Megill was tested again in the fifth inning with two on and one out, but escaped trouble with consecutive strikeouts from Yainer Diaz and Meijers. He returned to start the sixth and got the first out before allowing a walk to end his day.
–Jose Iglesias – the Mets’ reserve infielder and part-time Latin pop star whose song has become the team’s anthem – had an impressive day at bat, collecting three hits and uniquely knocking in the Mets’ first run of the game.
After Altuve botched a custom double play (which was ruled a hit) to put runners on the corners and not let anyone out, Iglesias showed up and hit a dribbler toward first base in front of home plate. Astros pitcher Framber Valdez made the odd decision to play at the plate by attempting to turn the ball over with his glove. Instead, he threw it over the catcher’s head and let the run score easily.
-Iglesias’ RBI single was just the first strike for the Mets as they took advantage of Houston’s defensive mistakes with a five-run second inning. Harrison Bader put the Mets ahead on the next pitch with a single to right field two batters later Brandon Nimmo blew a double, just out of dive range Jordan Alvarez to give the Mets a 3-1 lead. Pete Alonso drove in two more with a single to center field, giving the Mets a 5-1 lead.
–Mark Vientos continued to swing his hot bat with a solo home run in the third inning to extend the Mets’ lead to 6-1. It was his fourth home run in his last five games. In his last 30 games, Vientos has nine home runs, 19 RBI and is hitting .292/.350/.585.
-On a more positive note for the Mets’ bullpen, Ty Adcock pitched 1.2 scoreless innings in his debut with the team, allowing just one hit.
MVP of the game: Jake Meyers
The Astros center fielder was a thorn in the side of the Mets all game. He finished 3-for-4 with a walk, home run and scored three runs, including the tying run in the eighth inning on Garrett’s wild pitch.
Highlights
What’s next
The Mets wrap up their three-game series against the Astros on Sunday at Citi Field, with first pitch scheduled for 1:40 p.m. ET.
Luis Severino (5-2, 3.29 ERA) toes the rubber for the Mets, while the Astros have yet to name a starter for the final.
