Mets Waste Quintana’s Gem, Lose 2-1 To Rangers
The Mets looked for redemption on Tuesday against the Rangers after surrendering their lead late in the opening game of the series. José Quintana took the mound for the Mets and quickly got to work against one of the best offenses in the major leagues.
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He struck out two in the first inning, working around a two-out double from Nathaniel Lowe. From there, it was light work for the former all-star. Quintana struck out three more Rangers and induced three double plays across the next four innings, keeping the score tied at zero.
Quintana went back out for his sixth and final inning. He finished the inning unscathed again, retiring the heart of the Rangers’ lineup in order. The left-hander’s performance was masterful and he handed the ball to the bullpen without allowing a run.
Meanwhile, Andrew Heaney was brilliant on the other side for the Rangers. The former Marlin struck out seven Mets in 5 1/3 innings while allowing five hits and only one walk. Tuesday was a massive bounce-back start for Heaney. In his last three starts, he allowed seven runs and 17 hits in 9 1/3 innings.
Chris Stratton came on for the Rangers in the sixth inning and held the scoreless tie. The former Giant—who no-hit the Mets in 2015—recorded the final two outs and struck out Francisco Álvarez to end the inning.
After Quintana held the Rangers scoreless for six innings, Drew Smith was the first Mets’ arm out of the bullpen. However, the right-hander allowed a home run to Mitch Garver to give the Rangers a 1-0 lead.
Smith has struggled over his last two nights for the Mets. He has surrendered solo home runs in back-to-back games and his blemish on Tuesday was the deciding run. Smith has allowed seven home runs and has a 4.05 ERA in 46 2/3 innings this season.
Vientos brings the Mets within one run.
pic.twitter.com/fkXuSsMgeP— Metsmerized Online (@Metsmerized) August 30, 2023
The Rangers bullpen was able to get the job done after Heaney left the game. After Stratton finished the sixth, Brock Burke, Will Smith, and Aroldis Chapman combined for three strikeouts across the final three innings. Chapman allowed a solo home run to Mark Vientos in the bottom of the ninth, but the Rangers held on for the win.
The Mets’ offense came up short for the second night in a row. They recorded six hits and one walk but failed to score against Heaney and the Rangers bullpen. After losing to the Rangers by one run on Monday, the Mets failed to put together a rally to come back from a 1-0 and 2-1 hole.
The Rangers added an insurance run in the top of the ninth that ended up keeping the Mets at bay. Facing Phil Bickford, Garver walked with one out to start the rally. Travis Jankowski followed with a single and both runners moved up a base after Bickford fired a wild pitch. Ezequiel Duran got the job done for the Rangers, singling to left field to increase the Rangers lead to 2-0.
With their loss on Tuesday night, the Mets fell to 60-73 and lost the series to the Rangers.
Their loss on Tuesday also wasted a great performance from Quintana. The left-hander dominated the Rangers, striking out five batters across six scoreless innings. Entering Tuesday’s game, the Rangers had scored the second most runs in the majors (731).
Player of the Game
Quintana was the Metsmerized player of the game. The left-hander was stellar in his start against the Rangers, recording five strikeouts and three double-plays across six scoreless innings. His ERA now stands at 3.26.
On Deck
The Mets will try to avoid a sweep at home on Wednesday. The Rangers will send Dane Dunning to the mound. The right-hander has had a breakout year for the Rangers, pitching to a 3.36 ERA in 20 starts. The Mets have not announced a starter yet.
First pitch is scheduled for 6:40 p.m. The game will be televised on SNY and MLB Network (blackout restrictions apply) and can be listened to on WCBS 880.
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