Reed Garrett Faces the Booing Fans
Reed Garrett was met with a chorus of boos as he hung his head and exited the field after giving up a grand slam.
Fans weren’t particularly thrilled with Clay Holmes either, who managed just five innings during the double-header’s first game, further testing the Mets’ pitching depth. The crowd’s frustration extended to manager Carlos Mendoza, who opted to pull Holmes after he hit the 90-pitch mark while the team held a lead.
This choice backfired spectacularly, turning what seemed like an encouraging afternoon into yet another disappointing moment in the sixth inning. The Mets have seen their fortunes change drastically, yet they continue to spiral downwards. They kicked off their homestand against the Brewers with a 7-2 defeat at Citi Field, where empty seats outnumbered actual fans. This marked their fourth consecutive game without a win, and they’ve now lost 14 of their last 17 games.
Since the downturn began on June 13, the Mets have struggled significantly, showcasing poor performance both on the field and with a fourth-lowest OPS in the league, seemingly failing to execute well across the board.
Their offense did start strong, managing to hold an early lead thanks to some “small ball” tactics that produced two runs. But after that, it fell silent. Meanwhile, their pitching surrendered five runs over six innings.
In a crucial moment in the second inning, Holmes issued a walk to Christian Yelich, then faced Jackson Chowlio, prompting Mendoza to head to the mound. Holmes had pitched very well up to that point, marking his best performance of the season in his transition from reliever. However, after spending time on the injured list, he needed to step up, especially with the team requiring coverage for 18 innings.
Mendoza’s bold strategy led to Garrett taking the mound in the sixth. Unfortunately, he gave up a double to Bryce Tarlan and a single to Isaac Collins on his first two pitches. After relinquishing the lead, he walked Jake Bauers and quickly fell behind Joey Ortiz, 3-0.
Ortiz, a utility infielder, then hit a grand slam on a 3-1 cutter, scoring four runs that surpassed the Mets’ entire offensive output over their previous three games against Pittsburgh.
Throughout the game, the Mets’ offense mustered only two hits against Freddie Peralta and the Brewers’ bullpen.
They did execute a clever hit-and-run in the third inning, with Jeff McNeill advancing two bases and Lewis Tohren hitting a single, setting up Brett Baty for a sacrifice fly.
In a brief moment of excitement, Juan Soto stole second base and scored on a single from Pete Alonso. Yet, the Mets remained frustrated, going 18 batters without a hit after that sixth inning, overshadowed by Alonso’s failed attempt which brought their struggles into sharper focus.
