Mendoza's Bullpen Move Backfires As Orioles Come Back To Beat Mets

Orioles 3, Mets 1 (Oriole Park at Camden Yards, Baltimore, MD)

Mets Record: 53-40

Mets Streak: L1

Mets Last 10: 5-5

WP: Grant Wolfram (1-0) LP: Ryne Stanek (2-5)

SV: Felix Bautista (18)

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.

Gunnar Henderson earned a Seat on the Korner thanks to his clutch pinch-hit home run.

Today's Seat On The Korner goes to Orioles' shortstop Gunnar Henderson, who came off the bench in the eighth inning and delivered the go-ahead two-run homer to put Baltimore in front. Henderson was arguably a snub for the American League All Star Team and showed why with a clutch performance in today's game.

Need To Know:

• The Mets promoted LuisAngel Acuna from AAA Syracuse prior to today's game. Travis Jankowski was designated for assignment to make room for Acuna, who manager Carlos Mendoza said could get some time in center field going forward.

• The Mets added Austin Warren from AAA Syracuse to be the 27th man in today's doubleheader. Warren recorded the final out of the eighth inning after Ryne Stanek couldn't finish the frame.

• David Peterson worked 7+ innings for the Mets again, marking the fifth time since June 5th that he has gotten an out in the seventh inning. He is the only Mets' starter to do that over that span.

• Peterson moved into 10th place on the all time strikeout list for Mets' left-handed pitchers by punching out six over seven innings pitched.

• Jesse Winker was lifted from the game after one at bat when his back "locked up". Manager Carlos Mendoza said that Winker is on his way back to New York for testing before they decide whether to put him on the injured list.

Turning Point:

This turning point was obvious. After Peterson gave up a single to lead off the eighth, Mendoza asked Stanek to navigate the eighth inning. The Orioles countered with the lefty hitting Henderson, who promptly took Stanek deep to give Baltimore a lead they would never relinquish.

Three Things:

Another Questionable Bullpen Decision From Carlos Mendoza:

It feels like Mendoza has lost his feel for bullpen decisions of late, with a few curious calls costing the Mets games. With Peterson cruising and another game still to play, Mendoza pulled him in the eighth after one single for Stanek, which allowed the Orioles to unleash a slew of talented left-handed hitters they had left on the bench with Peterson on the bump. That decision, combined with Stanek's inability to throw strikes, cost the Mets dearly in the eighth as they gave up a game they could have had.

Tyrone Taylor Finally Gets A Hit:

It has been a rough go for Taylor, who entered the day in a 2-for-41 skid, and arrived to the ballpark to the news that LuisAngel Acuna could get some playing time in center field. Taylor picked a good time to deliver his first hit in a while, picking up an RBI double in the fifth to plate Brett Baty and give the Mets a 1-0 lead.

That double was Taylor's only hit of the day in three plate appearances and the Mets' only hit with men in scoring position, which leads us to our third thing . . .

The RISP Woes Strike Again:

Coming through with runners in scoring position has been a problem for the Mets all year, but it looked like they had managed to start coming out of it over the past week. Today's game was an unwelcome return to the status quo as the Mets went just 1-for-11 with men in scoring position and left eight men on base, costing them opportunities to pick up valuable insurance runs. While Stanek's poor performance was the headliner in the loss, failing to tack on runs was a big reason why the Mets lost this game.