Boston – A Tough Night for the Mets
It’s kind of a familiar story for the Mets when it comes to their struggles with runners in scoring positions. On Tuesday, cheers were few and far between as the visiting team battled through both mistimed swings and unfortunate batting performances.
Unfortunately for the Mets, even the opposing pitcher’s less-than-stellar outing didn’t provide much relief. They found themselves on the wrong side of a 2-0 defeat on a chilly evening at Fenway Park.
This loss marked a swing for the Mets, who fell from first place for the first time since April 9. They also encountered their third straight defeat, a bit unsettling, especially since it’s the first time this season they’ve hit a losing streak like this. In fact, it was their fifth loss in six games over the past week.
As the game progressed, the Mets seemed to fade, particularly in the last four innings, going a disappointing 0 for 7 with runners in scoring positions. With that, they ranked 21st in MLB for that statistic, struggling with a .691 OPS.
Clay Holmes attempted to keep his team competitive, allowing just two runs while striking out five batters in six innings. This was Holmes’ fourth consecutive start where he managed six innings.
The Red Sox, on the other hand, faced their own challenges, losing starting pitcher Walker Buehler after just three innings, alongside a noted departure of manager Alex Cora.
Soto managed to draw a walk, putting two runners on base for the Mets, but Pete Alonso couldn’t capitalize, and Brandon Nimmo’s powerful shot into center field was caught by Christian Campbell. Mark Vientos followed with a double that gave the Mets a glimmer of hope, but he remained stranded on third after Brett Baty’s hit was snatched by Nick Sogard, which sealed the inning.
McNeill didn’t have it easy either; Sogard’s diving stop on McNeill’s grounder early on prevented a potential run from scoring.
Holmes faced a tough fifth inning, with Carlos Narváez getting the first run across the plate. Shortly after, Rafael Devers cleared the Green Monster, pushing the Mets into a daunting 2-0 deficit. This marked Holmes’ second consecutive start where he allowed multiple home runs, a notable concern with just five homers given up this season.
