For Openers, Mets Cough Up Lead Late in 5-3 Loss to Phils
The Mets (0-1) fell 5-3 to the Phillies (4-0) in their season opener on Monday evening despite a dazzling showing from ace Jacob deGrom.
The Mets’ ace topped out at 102 this Opening Day- matching the hardest pitch he threw last season. At the plate, he was 2-for-3 with an RBI. This made deGrom the fourth Mets’ pitcher to have two hits on Opening Day behind Craig Swan (1980), Tom Glavine (1986), and Jon Niese (2013).
Despite deGrom’s remarkable effort, the bullpen couldn’t hold it down for him as five runs scored in the eighth inning costing him the win. The game marks the 31st time in deGrom’s career that the pen has blown a possible win for the ace, equating to nearly half of his 70 career wins. (Box Score)
ON THE MOUND
Jacob deGrom got the well-deserved Opening Day start for New York for the third consecutive year. The ace tossed 77 pitches-50 for strikes through six scoreless frames, allowing just three hits. He walked two and struck out seven.
For his career on Opening Day, deGrom’s stat line: 17 IP, 9 H, 0 R, 4 BB, and 25 Ks, per Anthony DiComo of MLB.com.
In 184 career starts, deGrom has allowed a major league record of one or no runs 86 times, per Michael Mayer of MMO.
In the opening frame, Philadelphia’s Rhys Hoskins knocked a one-out double on a sharp fly ball off the center-field wall. Newly acquired Kevin Pillar flashed his defense and made the relay 8-4-5 out to nab Hoskins trying to stretch to third.
DeGrom then issued a two-out walk to Bryce Harper, but sent J.T. Realmuto down swinging with an 101 mph fastball to close out the inning.
An impressive defensive effort aided deGrom in the second inning, as well. After a one-out base hit was notched by Didi Gregorius, Francisco Lindor turned a fine 6-4-3 double play to end the inning.
A single by Andrew McCutchen in the third and a leadoff walk by Bryce Harper in the fourth were all deGrom would allow for the remainder of the evening.
He finished his night retiring his last six batters in a row, three via strikeout.
Miguel Castro took over on the bump in the seventh and threw a scoreless frame. The 26-year-old allowed one hit to Alec Bohm, that was just out of the Alonso’s glove. Gregorius then reached on a force out with Bohm out at second, but the side was retired by Alonso with a dive to snare Jean Segura‘s ground ball.
Trevor May relieved Castro in the eighth, and pitched an utterly deflating 1/3 of an inning.
After striking out his first batter, May gave up a single to Brad Miller and walked McCutchen to put the tying runs on bases. After allowing another single to Hoskins to load the bases he was lifted for Aaron Loup.
Aaron Loup made his Mets’ debut in a pressure cooker, attempting to preserve the lead with one out and the bases loaded. Loup plunked Harper to drive in a run, and J.T. Realmuto singled to tie it up and wash away deGrom’s shot at taking the win on Opening Day.
Luis Guillorme, who was brought in as a defensive substitution at third for J.D. Davis, made a costly throwing error in an attempt to get the out at home on an Alec Bohm fielder’s choice. Instead, the wide throw to the plate scored two runs and put runners on second and third. Gregorius then knocked a sacrifice fly that drove in the final run of the inning, giving Philadelphia a 5-2 advantage.
Unfortunately, the Phillies five-spot in the eighth was enough for the home-team to take the win.
AT THE PLATE
The implosion of the bullpen was not only to blame for New Yorks loss on Monday evening. The offense mustered just three runs on ten hits, going 4-for-10 with runners in scoring position and leaving eight on base.
Brandon Nimmo was the Mets’ first baserunner in the third with a one-out walk. deGrom subsequently knocked the Mets’ first hit of the season with an infield single. A 3-2 curveball to walk Lindor then loaded the bases for Michael Conforto, who grounded out to end the inning.
New York led off the fourth with back-to-back walks drawn by Pete Alonso and J.D. Davis, and Jeff McNeil moved Alonso up for first and third with a fly out to center. The club took a 1-0 lead with an RBI base hit from new acquired catcher James McCann– his first hit and first RBI as a Met.
Nimmo kept it going with a single on a pop-fly hit to center to once again juice the bases. Fighting against the National League Designated Hitter advocates, deGrom got his second hit of the evening with an RBI single to make it 2-0 Mets. Kevin Pillar then hit into an inning-ending double play.
Mets got another two men on in the fifth as Conforto reached on a throwing error by Didi Gregorius at short, and Alonso singled up the right field line. Leaving the pair stranded; J.D. Davis and McNeil went down in order.
Down 5-2 in the top of the ninth, Pillar knocked a two-out single to spark a rally and Lindor kept the fight going with his first hit as a Met. With first and third, Conforto lined a ball to right to score Pillar and put the tying runs on base for Alonso.
Unfortunately it was too little too late, as Alonso hit a deep fly to Bryce Harper at the warning track in right field to end the game. It was not the end Mets fans hoped for.
ON DECK
The Mets look to rebound from the loss in the second of the three-game series against the Phillies tomorrow at Citizens Bank Park.
RHP Marcus Stroman will make his first regular-season start since 2019 after opting out of the 2020 season due to COVID-19 concerns. Stroman finished spring training 2-0 with a 3.44 ERA.
RHP Chase Anderson will get the start for the Phils.
First pitch in Philadelphia will be at 7:05 PM on April 6th. The game will be televised by ESPN and broadcast on WCBS 880-AM.
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