Mets’ comeback falls short in defeat to Royals, overshadowing Sean Manaea’s return

Kansas City, Mo. — Mets Fall Short Against Royals

The Mets faced off against the Royals in a frustrating way before the All-Star break, ultimately resulting in a 3-2 walk-off loss. This game showcased Sean Manaea, but the team’s overall performance left much to be desired.

It’s interesting how a single word—like “cleaning”—can change the meaning. Unfortunately, the Mets didn’t manage to “clean up” their game, instead, they seemed to “sleep” through key moments. This loss capped off a .500 road trip.

Nick Loftin’s RBI single clinched the win for the Royals against Manaea, marking his ninth defeat. Manaea began the game strong but allowed a single to Tyler Tolbert, who then stole second base to set up the scoring opportunity.

The Mets ended the contest with only seven hits, leaving eight runners stranded on base. Alarmingly, this marked the fourth time in five games that they had failed to score at least four runs.

In a surprising twist, the Mets managed to tie it up in the ninth inning. Jeff McNeill hit a pinch-hit triple during his first at-bat, later scoring on a sacrifice fly by Jared Young after Brett Batty grounded into an out. Ronnie Mauricio sparked the comeback with a leadoff double.

One bright spot was Manaea, who made his season debut and served as a piggyback pitcher behind Clay Holmes. After a rough start to the season due to an oblique strain and elbow issues, he pitched relatively well over 3¹/₃ innings.

Manaea, who was a key player last season, gives the Mets depth in their rotation as they gear up to face the Reds on Friday.

Holmes pitched five innings, yielding two hits and two runs, while registering two strikeouts and one walk. This performance brings Holmes’ season total to 103¹/₃ innings, a significant increase from his previous career high of 70 in 2021, split between the Pirates and Yankees.

The Mets found themselves in an early 2-0 hole thanks to a two-run double by John Rave in the second inning. Maykel Garcia’s double led off that inning, and Salvador Perez followed up with a hit before Rave’s key play.

Holmes also managed to ground out Bobby Witt Jr. twice in crucial moments during the game.

On the other side of things, the Mets squandered several opportunities, such as Mark Vientos’ triple earlier in the game. They left runners on base during the fourth inning after a miscommunication on a hit, and even the seventh inning saw them unable to capitalize when Taylor reached base but was caught in a double play.