Game 32 of 162
Tigers 2 - Mets 0 (Comerica Park, Detroit)
Mets record: 16-16
Mets streak: Lost 3
WP - Eduardo Rodriguez (3-2)
LP - Justin Verlander (0-1)
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.
Eduardo Rodriguez was brilliant, absolutely shutting the Mets down for eight innings to lead the Tigers to victory and spoil Justin Verlander's season debut in his former home. The Mets have now gone 2-9 in their last 11.
Need to Know
Verlander had a slightly shaky start to his Mets career, giving up back to back home runs to Riley Greene and Javy Baez to send the Tigers to a quick 2-0 lead. Fair to note that Greene's home run came on a good curve ball.
The rest of Verlander's day went much better, as those two home runs were the only runs he gave up in his five innings of work, giving up five hits total and one walk in 78 pitches.
Rodriguez was brilliant, giving up two hits in eight innings while topping 100 pitches for the first time this season at 102, while striking out nine.
Dominic Leone made his Mets debut in the bottom of the 7th and pitched a 1-2-3 inning.
Turning Point
Not that the Mets should be pointing towards the umpires to explain their performance at the plate today, but with Tommy Pham on first and one out, Jeff McNeil worked a 3-2 count on Rodriguez, and the payoff pitch could have, and should have, given the Mets two runners on with one out and Mark Canha coming up. Instead, this ...
Pham was thrown out trying to steal second base to end the inning. The Mets got one hit the rest of the way against Rodriguez, and two hits the rest of the game overall.
Three Keys
Verlander's outing was exactly what the Mets needed to see, and if he can replicate it while lengthening his outings, the Mets will be in much better shape going forward. Even though he set aside the curve for the most part after Greene's home run, Verlander found success with his fastball in the top half of the zone, along with his slider.
The Mets hadn't had a hit off Rodriguez past the 4th inning, when Starling Marte hit a bloop single to left center. The hallmark of Mets hitters in 2022, working pitch counts and frustrating pitchers, seemed to have disappeared as their turns at bat today seemed very quick.
Not to single out Brandon Nimmo, because most everyone was empty at the dish today, but it's apparent that Nimmo is the engine that makes the Mets go, and his struggles lately have matched the Mets struggles for the most part.
Nimmo went 1-for-4 today, but his single in the 9th led to probably the most frustrating part of the afternoon. For some reason, with the tying run at the plate Nimmo, who almost never steals, attempted to steal second.
Considering the performance of the entire lineup, it's entirely possible that Nimmo would have been stranded. But still an odd and infuriating move to finish an odd and infuriating series.