Mets Return to Form, Waste Opportunities in Loss to Phils

Phillies 5 Mets 4 (Citi Field, Flushing, NY)

Mets Record: 35-49

Mets Streak: L1

Mets Last 10: 2-8

WP: Kyle Backhus (1-0)

LP: Kodai Senga (0-7)

SV: Jhoan Duran (21)

Seat On The Korner: Kyle Schwarber

We select a Star of the Game and virtually invite him to take his Seat on the Korner — just as Ralph Kiner did on WOR-TV Channel 9 during the early days of the New York Mets.

Continuing the tradition of Rheingold Beer sponsoring Kiner’s Korner, this season every seat is proudly presented by The Main Event Restaurant & Sports Bar.

With locations in Plainview and Farmingdale, The Main Event features 80+ HD TVs, fresh daily seafood, and Black Angus certified steaks—so you never have to choose between great food and the big game.

You knew that at some point in this series, Kyle Schwarber was likely to get a seat next to Ralph. The most dangerous hitter in the Phils' lineup was one-for-six in the first two games of the series, so you could say he was due, and he had a hand in both Phuladelphia rallies: the game-winning homer in the seventh and being on the back end of a double steal that helped produce the Phils' first two runs. Worthy of a conversation and a post-game YooHoo with Ralph.

Need To Know:

• The Mets are 13-16 over their last 29 games and 25-28 over their last 53.

• The Mets are now 10-12 against the NL East.

• Cionel Perez served at the opener for the Mets and pitched a scoreless first inning. It was Perez' first start in 284 major league appearances.

• Odd stat of the day: Perez and Tobias Myers, who followed him in the second, threw 21 straight strikes to start the game before Myers threw a ball.

• New York Knicks guard/forward OG Anunoby threw out the first ball, with retired Mets shortstp Jose Reyes on the receiving end. Afterward, they exchanged jerseys on the field -- although there might have been some controversy about the jersey Anunoby wore: Mets' pinstripes with his name and the number eight on the back. That number, of course, was worn by Gary Carter, and there was a huge outcry when Nick Morabito was given eight -- temporarily-- earlier in the season.

  

• The Mets traveled to Toronto after the game and will face the Blue Jays for a three-game series starting Monday. Sean Manaea gets the start for the Mets, facing Trey Yesavage.

  
  

Turning Point:

This one's easy: Top of the seventh, with the Mets having taken the lead. Kodai Senga on the mound. Justin Crawford singled to open in the inning, but Trea Turner fouled out. Up came Kyle Schwarber, arguably the most dangerous hitter in the Phillies' lineup -- except to Senga, who had gotten Schwarber out in each of the nine times they had faced each other. Senga fed Schwarber a steady diet of ghost forks, and it looked like Senga's mastery of the Phils' designated hitter would continue. But then Senga tried to surprise Schwarber with a fastball. Schwarber wasn't fooled, sending the ball over the fence for what proved to be the game-winner.

Three Keys:

Missed Opportunities

In five innings, the Mets had men in scoring position with less than two outs, and couldn't get any runners in (we're including the sixth, where after A.J. Ewing hit a pinch hit home run and the Mets followed with a walk and two hits to take the lead, they nevertheless ended the ininning with a man in scoring position). We have a lot to learn about how differently Andy Green will manage this team, but we have to wonder why he left one of his best clutch hitters, Francisco Lindor, on the bench because Lindor had been promised a day off after playing two consecutive games. We'd bet that Lindor would not have been upset if asked to put on a helment and head to the plate late in the game, especially when the team loaded the bases in the eighth with one out. Lindor could have hit for Ronny Mauricio (who popped out) or even DH Francisco Alvarez (who struck out).

Other than that, Mrs. Lincoln.......

We know its' hard to overlook the fact that Kodai Senga served up the game winning homer to Kyle Schwarber, but that was really the only truly bad pitch he threw in five innings of work. Senga's good ghost fork reappeared, along with his control -- he walked only one -- and his pitch count was a manageable 80 over the five frames. Senga was banished to the bullpen because of his ineffectiveness, but a few more outings like this one and he might be ready for prime time again -- especially if the opener-to-Kodai formula continues to work.

Miserable Myers

Tobias Myers, on the other hand, continued to struggle. Taking over from opener Cionel Perez, Myers struggled, giving up six his to the first 11 batters he faced. His pitch count was high, and while he recovered to pitch a clean fourth inning after third, his overall line was ugly. We know they are trying to stretch Myers out as a possible rotation piece, but how much longer can they trot him out in any situation?