The Los Angeles Dodgers take the first two games against the Mets in Flushing.
During this stretch of baseball for the Mets there is a different story every night. Or is there? In the SNY post game show they mentioned that in the 18 games Mets starting pitching have gone 6+ innings they are 5-13. While this team finds a different way to lose each game this is very alarming. With the injuries to Brooks Raley and Drew Smith combined with an early stretch of heavy bullpen usage it was in due time that the bullpen was going to feel fatigued.
On a positive note in the late afternoon game Mets starting pitcher Tylor Megill pitched a gem. Besides Severino’s near no hit performance back in April this may have been one of the best starts a Mets pitcher has had this year. Regardless if the Dodger lineup has been cold they are always a threat and Megill was able to put away hitters consistently. An impressive nine strikeout performance, three of which were in his last inning pitched to strikeout the side.
Tylor Megill Final Line:
7 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 9 KK
Offensively, the Mets have not been able to show any clutch ability. Besides Harrison Bader no one has been able to come up in clutch situations. The Mets had the bases loaded with one out and a 3-0 count in the bottom of the 9th, but managed to get no runs out of it. Regardless of a blown lead late in the game four hits and two runs is never going to be enough for this team to start up another run.
In the night cap the Mets were shut out for the sixth time this year. After an embarrassing loss in the first game the Mets looked flat from the first pitch to the last.
Dodgers starting pitcher Gavin Stone looked impressive, so you have to give credit where credit is due but the Mets flat out did not look like they wanted to be there. With only three hits on the night the Mets were not able to put any runners in scoring position and were not competitive at the plate.
Even with a quality start from Jose Quintana and a solid effort from the bullpen it was not enough as the Dodgers took the first two games of the series. Mets starting pitchers managed to pitch 13 innings only giving up 3 runs but with a combination of bullpen distress and lackluster at bats they are now 10 games under .500.
The Mets and Dodgers close out the series tomorrow afternoon at 4:10 PM with David Peterson making his season debut coming off the injured list.