A New Season Low: Mets Blow Lead to Yankees, Lose 7-6

Losing has become a constant for the New York Mets (31-36).

The Amazins hosted the New York Yankees (39-29) at Citi Field to commence the 2023 subway series, sending Max Scherzer to the mound. Facing an Aaron Judge-less Yankees lineup, the Mets’ ace struggled right out of the gate and failed to make it past the fourth inning.

Scherzer allowed a solo home run to Giancarlo Stanton in the first inning, giving the Yankees their first lead of the night. Then, after being handed a 5-1 lead, the future hall of famer allowed five earned runs in the fourth inning, surrendering the Mets’ lead and ending his night.

Once further damage was prevented in the fourth, Scherzer’s final line was set. The 38-year-old allowed six earned runs in 3 1/3 innings, while only striking out two batters. In his last two starts combined, Scherzer has allowed 11 earned runs across nine innings and has seen his ERA rise to 4.45. If the season ended today, it would be the worst earned run average of his career.

When asked about his ace’s performance after the game, Buck Showalter attributed pitch selection and a lack of command to Scherzer’s struggles.

“(He made) some pitches ahead in the count he doesn’t normally make. The level of command he’s shown (in the past) wasn’t there. He paid the price for it. Some (balls) were hard-hit balls obviously too.”

Meanwhile, the Mets’ offense did their part, but couldn’t escape their starter. Without Pete Alonso in the lineup, the Mets’ ambushed Luis Severino and scored five runs in the first three innings behind clutch two-out knocks from Brett Baty and Jeff McNeil. The offense didn’t stop there. After Scherzer lost the Mets’ lead, the offense tied the game in the fifth inning, once again behind a two-out single, this time from Luis Guillorme.

The Mets’ offense has hardly been the problem during their recent funk. Over their last ten games, the Mets are averaging a modest 4.3 runs per game, and have lost games where they have scored ten, seven, and five runs.

The outlying problem during this stretch–and the whole season–has been their pitching. The Mets’ pitching staff has allowed 55 earned runs in their last 11 games, resulting in a 3-8 record over that span.

Tuesday night’s game against the Yankees has been a microcosm of the team’s 2023 season. When the bats are hot, the pitching disappears, and when the pitching is lights out, the lineup can’t score. Just go back to Sunday’s 2-1 loss against the Pirates.

With another Tuesday night loss under their belt, the Mets’ record fell to 31-36. New York ended their seven-game losing streak on Saturday against the Pirates, but have started a new one following their loss to the Yankees. The Mets’ season is officially in spiral mode, and after the loss, they fell 9.5 games back from first place. The Mets are only five games better than the Washington Nationals.

After a game like this, you wonder how much longer the team can go with its current coaching staff and roster.

Sticky Situation

Drew Smith was ejected from Tuesday’s matchup with the Yankees for having a foreign substance on his hands. The ejection comes with an automatic 10-game suspension, putting the Mets’ bullpen depth in further jeopardy. Scherzer received the same suspension earlier in the season while pitching against the Dodgers.

After the game, Buck Showalter gave a short and abrupt answer on why Smith was ejected.

“His hands were too sticky.”

On Deck

Justin Verlander takes the mound for the Mets on Wednesday night. The former Astro was abysmal in his last outing, and allowed four earned runs in three innings against the Atlanta Braves. The Yankees are countering with Gerrit Cole, who is having another dominant year. The Yankees ace is 7-1 in 2023 and is pitching to a 2.84 ERA.

First pitch on Wednesday night is 7:10 pm. The game will be available to watch on ESPN and can be listened to on WCBS 880 and WFAN 660 AM/101.9 FM.

The post A New Season Low: Mets Blow Lead to Yankees, Lose 7-6 first appeared on Metsmerized Online.