Giants 7 Mets 2 (Citi Field, Flushing, NY)
Mets record: 21-30
Mets streak: Lost 5
WP - Luke Jackson (3-1)
LP - Sean Reid-Foley (1-2)
Seat on the Korner:
We select the star of the game and virtually invite him to a Seat on the Korner, just as Ralph Kiner used to do for his studio postgame show on WOR-channel 9 broadcasts in the early decades of the Mets.
LaMonte Wade Jr.'s ninth inning pinch hit single spoiled Edwin Diaz's return to the closer role and set the stage for the Mets' fifth straight loss: a 7-2 Giants victory.
Need to Know
Edwin Diaz got a save chance just one night after pitching in the 7th inning. LaMonte Wade Jr.'s RBI single tagged Diaz with his first run of three blown saves in a row since 2021.
The Mets are 3-12 in their last 15 games, and 9-22 in their last 31.
Luis Severino was brilliant in his start today, giving up two hits and one run in seven innings while walking three and striking out six. Severino took a no-hitter into the sixth inning.
Severino's 103 pitches were the most thrown by a Mets starter all season.
Brett Baty was a bright spot for the Mets, giving them the lead with a 7th inning homer, and then keeping the Mets in the game after Diaz's blown save with a great play in the ninth.
Sean Reid-Foley gave up five unearned runs in the ninth, including a three run triple by Mike Yastrzemski to seal the deal.
Turning Point
The obvious answer is the Wade hit, but since I'm going to discuss that in the keys, I want to discuss the 6th inning. Severino was cruising with a no-hitter. But then a rally culminated in Patrick Bailey tying the gamefor a second straight day in which he wore a super hero cape.
In the bottom of the 6th, the Mets were rallying to get the lead back, but ran into some typical Mets luck in the form of Taylor Rogers' self preservation against Harrison Bader.
It was the first few clues that this could be the second verse, same as the first (or the first four.)
Three Keys
Was Diaz rushed back?
It was strange to see Diaz rushed back into the closer role, not even one appearance after his 7th inning cameo, but one day after it. It wasn't even a full day either. It was a day game after a night game. Maybe Diaz asked to get in. Maybe he told Carlos Mendoza he was ready.
Wilmer Flores (hey, I remember him) sat on a first pitch fastball and cracked it for a single. Then Diaz picked three corners against Yastrzemski while sitting 97-98 on three fastballs to wipe him out. At that point, it looked like it Diaz might have been all the way back or close to it.
But then came the Wade hit, which came after Ryan McKenna stole second, and came on a 96 mph fastball which caught too much middle.
At this point, everything that Mendoza does with Diaz has to be with an eye towards 2025. If that means running him back out there to blow as many games as he needs to blow to get back to his 2022 form, then we're just going to have to endure it. A healthy Edwin Diaz who is in top form is the best way for the Mets to prosper. Him getting his head beat in a few times might be the way to do it, and we should all be prepared for it.
I don't know if bringing him back for a day game after a night game was the best spot for Diaz's return to the closer role, but going forward, the only right way to handle Diaz is whatever sets him up best for success ... in 2025.
Speaking of 2025 ...
One of the curious things to come out of today was Mark Vientos not playing a day after he hit a home run. To his credit, Brett Baty was very good today with two hits and a great defensive play, and he needs to play as well.
But with Vientos hitting .344 this season, it is imperative for the Mets to make sure he gets regular team for weeks and months, and not for just six days. Figuring out what role either/or both will have next season when the Mets open the checkbook again is of utmost importance. How do the Mets make sure Vientos and Baty get regular time? I don't get paid to figure that out. But I'm sure it'll be much easier if and when J.D. Martinez gets traded for a prospect in this increasingly lost season.
Focus
The question that will follow the Mets now is that with all of this losing, is there going to be a malaise that sets in. Will there be a state of mind of "here we go again?" And most importantly, will that affect them on the field?
It sure as heck looked like it already has.
Perhaps it's unfair to attribute this error, which lead to the five unearned Giants runs which salted this away, to the general malaise of another blown lead. Maybe Pete just vapor locked. But things like this happen when things go bad. It's easy to lose focus and make errors like this. The Mets need to start guarding against this.
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