The Mets were four outs away from their second straight win, but Edwin Diaz allowed a decisive grand slam on Wednesday night in Arizona when New York lost 8-5 to the Diamondbacks.
The Mets (69-64) now trail the Braves by 4.0 games after Atlanta won earlier in the evening.
These are the main points…
-The Mets bullpen was very good at replacing Luis Severino who couldn’t get through five innings. The combination of Huascar Brazoban, Danny Jong And Reed Garrett got the first seven outs without allowing a run as a reliever before turning the ball over to the relievers in the eighth inning.
Mendoza called on Phil Maton to start the eighth inning instead of Dedniel Nunez — who hasn’t pitched since Saturday — and after a leadoff walk, he got the next two batters out. Diaz was then asked to make a four-out save, but the Mets closer walked the next two batters to load the bases for Corbin Carroll. The 2023 NL Rookie of the Year threw a hanging slider 390 feet over the right field wall to put the D-backs up 8-5.
-In the ninth inning, now trailing by three runs, Peter Alonso flew away at the first throw, JD Martinez struck out and a pinch-hitting Jesse Winker a ground ball, ending the game.
-Wednesday was Severino’s first game as a pitcher in Arizona and it was a tough day for the veteran right-hander. His control was a bit off and he just didn’t have his fastball as the Diamondbacks scored four runs in the first four innings.
Old friend Luis Guillorme got the D-backs on the board with an RBI slap single through the hole with two outs, but it was the third inning that got Sevy in trouble. After getting a ground ball off the inside of his push-off foot for the first out, which the coaches looked at Severino and everyone decided was good to go, he allowed a single and then a two-run shot to Joc Pederson to put Arizona up 3-0.
Carroll hit a solo home run in the fourth, but Severino went 4.2 innings and was one out away from hitting the fifth, but a two-out double from Lourdes Gurriel Jr. forced Carlos Mendoza‘s hand. Brazoban got the final out of the inning, closing the book on Severino’s night.
Severino threw 4.2 innings (100 pitches/68 strikes) and allowed four runs on eight hits, one walk and retired nine batters.
-D-backs starter Eduardo Rodriguez was perfect through four innings, attacking the zone and making the Mets hit for soft contact, but New York would break through in the fifth. After a Brandon Nimmo leadoff walk, Martinez hit a blasting RBI double off the right-center field wall to score the Mets’ first run. The double traveled 412 feet and would have been a home run in 24 parks, including Citi Field. After moving to third on a long fly ball, Francisco Alvarez Martinez hit an RBI single up the middle to cut Arizona’s lead in half. Harrison Bader and then slammed a 120-meter bomb on a cutter across the plate at 145 km/h to tie the game.
-The Mets would take the lead in the sixth inning thanks to Starling Marte. A leadoff bunt single and a stolen base put him in scoring position before Nimmo’s grounder moved him to third. Alonso hit a shallow fly ball to right, and Marte tested Gurriel’s arm. The outfielder had Marte all the way to right, but the young catcher Adrian Del Castillo didn’t block the plate after the ball arrived for Marte, but the veteran did slide past the tag to give the Mets a 5-4 lead.
Most Valuable Player of the Match: Corbin Carroll
Carroll’s two home runs accounted for five of Arizona’s eight runs and were crucial when they needed them.
Highlights
What’s next?
The Mets and Diamondbacks wrap up their three-game series on Thursday afternoon, with first pitch scheduled for 3:40 p.m.
David Peterson (8-1, 2.85 ERA) will take the mound against Ryne Nelson (9-6, 4.29 ERA) who is headed to Arizona.
