Giant Slam Drops Mets to New Low in 8-7 Loss
Patrick Bailey hit a go-ahead grand slam in the eighth inning off Reed Garrett, sending the Mets to their latest devastating loss by a score of 8-7 to open a 10-game home stand against the San Francisco Giants at Citi Field. New York has lost four straight, moving its record to 6-15 in May and a season-low eight games below .500 at 21-29.
J.D. Martinez and Mark Vientos both had chances to play hero in the ninth. Down 8-7, with the bases loaded and one out, Martinez struck out swinging against Camilo Doval. With two outs, on a 3-2 pitch, Vientos bounced a ball down the third-base line. Matt Chapman charged, bare-handed the ball and threw a one-hopper to first that was scooped just in time to get Vientos at first to end the game.
Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
The Mets led 6-2 when Garrett entered in the eighth, who proceeded to give up back-to-back singles to open the inning. Two outs later, Thairo Estrada doubled in a run to make it 6-3. After a Chapman walk, Bailey hit a 420-foot bomb to right to give the Giants a 7-6 lead.
Martinez, Vientos and Pete Alonso each hit solo homers for the Mets. It was the third consecutive game in which the Mets hit three home runs. It also marked the first time in team history that New York hit three home runs in three straight games and lost all three. The last team to “accomplish” this feat was the 2022 Arizona Diamondbacks. It has been done just four times in major league history.
Making his fourth start, rookie Christian Scott gave up two runs on two hits across six innings while retiring the final 12 batters he faced. He fanned four and walked one on the day.
Martinez crushed his solo homer 424 feet with an exit velocity of 109 mph into the second deck in left field off San Francisco starter Kyle Harrison in the fifth inning to give New York a 4-2 lead. Vientos followed with an opposite-field long ball to right. It was the first instance of back-to-back home runs for the Mets this season. New York entered Friday with a major-league worst .609 OPS at home.
Edwin Díaz entered the game in the seventh with New York leading 5-2, making his first appearance since blowing a four-run lead in the ninth inning in Miami against the Marlins last Saturday. He gave up a single and struck out two in a scoreless outing.
Manager Carlos Mendoza discussed Diaz’s situation before the game on Friday, stating that he still has confidence in his ability to return to form despite his recent rough patch.
“Not a secret, right, he had a tough week,” Mendoza said. “But talking to him and then during that series in Cleveland, he got on the mound and threw a lot of pitches before the game. He was working on some of the things that he felt like he needed to be working on. And look, at the end of the day for us to get to where we want to get we need Edwin Díaz to be at this best. And I’m pretty confident he will get there. He’s just going through a stretch here where it wasn’t easy for him, but I’m pretty confident that we will get him back.”
A scary moment occurred in the third inning when Brandon Nimmo was hit by a pitch on the flap of his batting helmet and staggered away from the batter’s box. After a visit from the trainer, he remained in the game and stole second base.
New York got on the board with an Alonso RBI single in the first. Jeff McNeil added an RBI single and Tomás Nido drove in a run with a sacrifice fly in the fourth. Francisco Lindor recorded an RBI single in the ninth.
David Stearns Joins GKR
During the third inning, president of baseball operations David Stearns joined the SNY booth.
He said over the last 10 days there have been “lapses” from each segment of the team. Some days good pitching wasn’t supported by the hitting, and other days the bats came through but the pitching didn’t hold up. Throughout the recent stretch and often this season, he said, there have also been too many defensive miscues.
Still, he said, the Mets have a “group of veteran players that is committed to fight through adversity and we’re gonna give them a chance to do that.” With the trade deadline still more than two months away, Stearns said he and his team don’t need to make any decisions right now and are still “in information-gathering mode.”
Before the season, Stearns said he expected the Mets to compete for a playoff spot, though he believes the team needs to perform at a higher level if they are to meet those expectations.
“We are going to have to play better to have the type of season that we expect to have,” Stearns said on the broadcast.
Injury Updates
Mendoza said Kodai Senga will be shut down for three to five days after he received a cortisone shot following an MRI that showed nerve inflammation in his tricep … Francisco Alvarez will take batting practice on Saturday as the catcher said he felt a little bit better … Reliever Drew Smith will make a rehab appearance at Single-A Brooklyn on Sunday … David Peterson made a rehab appearance Friday with Triple-A Syracuse, throwing 89 pitches over four innings while allowing two earned runs. He may replace the struggling Adrian Houser in the rotation upon his activation from the injured list.
Stat of the Game
Vientos entered the game 7-for-15 on the year against lefties. He went 1-for-2 with a home run and a walk against the rookie lefty Harrison.
Player of the Game
Alonso went 2-for-5 with two RBIs and hit his 12th homer of the season. He is now hitting .240/.315/.480 this campaign.
On Deck
Luis Severino (2-2, 3.48 ERA) faces Jordan Hicks (4-1, 2.38 ERA) in a 1:40 p.m. ET start on Saturday afternoon that will be aired on WPIX and MLB Network. Owner Steve Cohen hopes you like the tote bag giveaway.
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