Mets Hurt By Long Ball in 7-3 Loss to Rangers
Credit: Gregory Fisher-USA TODAY Sports
Home runs were flying out of Citi Field on Saturday afternoon, but the New York Mets (48-30) couldn’t make theirs count in a 7-3 defeat to the Texas Rangers (37-39). Mets starter Trevor Williams allowed a lot of hard contact in a lackluster performance, and big days from Starling Marte, Eduardo Escobar, and Francisco Lindor were not enough to make up the deficit. Buck Showalter will have to wait at least one more game to record his 1,600th career victory as manager, and the Mets are in danger of seeing their division lead drop below three games for the first time since April 30.
.@Starlingmart hit a laser to center! #LGM pic.twitter.com/cXq6l12Q2w
— New York Mets (@Mets) July 2, 2022
The Mets got out to a fast start, as Marte launched a two-run homer off Rangers starter Martín Pérez in the bottom of the first inning to give the team an early 2-0 lead. It was Marte’s eighth home run of the season and his first since June 5th. Pérez had allowed just one first inning run across his first 15 starts of the season, but the Mets got to him just two batters into the game.
It did not take long for the Rangers to respond, and they did so in a big way. Kole Calhoun crushed a three-run home run off Trevor Williams in the top of the second inning, and Jonah Heim went back-to-back to put the Rangers up 4-2. Williams was pitching on three days’ rest, having gone 2 1/3 innings in relief in Tuesday’s game, and he was not particularly sharp in this one.
The Rangers tacked on another run in the top of the fourth inning with a solo homer from Calhoun, his second of the day to make it a 5-2 game. Williams was pulled before he could get out of the inning, allowing five runs on five hits in 3 2/3 innings. He got hurt by the long ball, allowing three home runs in a start for the first time as a Met.
.@escobardelapica pic.twitter.com/LRsZdSS0y9
— New York Mets (@Mets) July 2, 2022
The Mets did manage to get one run back in the bottom of the fourth. Escobar hit a solo home run to cut the Rangers’ lead to 5-3. Escobar has homered in consecutive games for the first time this season, and he is now up to eight home runs on the year.
In the fifth inning, the Mets had a prime opportunity to pull the game even closer with runners on first and second and one out. However, Pete Alonso grounded into an inning-ending double play to end the threat. Pérez allowed as many home runs in this game (2) as he had allowed all season entering Saturday, but he otherwise did a great job of keeping the Mets’ offense in check, going 6 2/3 strong innings and striking out four.
The arms out of the Mets’ bullpen did a fantastic job of keeping the Rangers in check until the eighth inning, but Tommy Hunter ran into a bit of trouble in the frame. He allowed an RBI single to Corey Seager to make it 6-3 in favor of the Rangers, eventually working his way out of a jam to prevent it from getting worse.
Lindor singled to lead off the eighth inning, his second hit of the day and his fourth time reaching base, and he reached second base on a wild pitch. However, the Mets’ batters were retired in order from there, continuing a frustrating stretch during which the offense has recorded just eight hits in their last 63 at-bats with runners in scoring position (.127 BA).
The Rangers added one final home run in the ninth inning, as Leody Taveras roped a solo homer off of Hunter extend the lead to 7-3. It was the fourth home run of the game for the Rangers and the first earned run charged to Hunter in four appearances this season.
Dominic Smith laced a pinch-hit double to the deepest part of the yard in the ninth inning, but the Mets’ offense went out with a whimper in the ninth as they have plenty of times this past week. The Mets have scored just 10 total runs in their last five games, going 1-4 in that stretch.
Player of the Game: Starling Marte
Marte got the offense going with his first-inning home run, and he added a single in the fifth. Marte may not be hitting a lot of home runs recently, but he finds a way to make an impact both with his bat and his glove on a daily basis. He has more than justified his placement as a finalist for one of the two remaining outfield spots on the National League All-Star team ballot.
Final line for Marte: 2-f0r-4, HR (8), 2 RBI
On Deck
The Mets will look to capture a series victory when they face off against the Rangers on Sunday afternoon at Citi Field. First pitch is set for 1:40 p.m. ET, and the game will be broadcast on SNY. The Mets will start with Carlos Carrasco on the mound, while the Rangers will run out Jon Gray.
The post Mets Hurt By Long Ball in 7-3 Loss to Rangers first appeared on Metsmerized Online.