Game 53 of 162
Rockies 10 Mets 7 (Coors Field, Denver, CO)
Mets record: 27-26
Mets streak: Lost 1
WP - Justin Lawrence (2-2)
LP - Jeff Brigham (0-1)
SV - Pierce Johnson (11)
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.
Ryan McMahon's 7th inning homer off Jeff Brigham gave the Rockies the lead for good after the Mets had come back from 6-0 down to take a 7-6 lead. McMahon wound up going 2-for-5 while scoring two runs including the go ahead run on his two run shot.
Need to Know
This was your stereotypical Coors Field game, where no lead, and no pitcher, was safe. Everyone in the Rockies' starting lineup had at least one hit, and spots 3-7 in the order all had two hits each.
Justin Verlander, who had pitched well at Coors Field in his previous starts, did not have it on Saturdya as he gave up six runs on nine hits and one walk in five innings of work.
The Mets weren't too shabby at the dish either, as everyone in their starting lineup had a hit as well, except for Francisco Lindor who went 0-for-5. Jeff McNeil, Pete Alonso, Mark Vientos and Francisco Alvarez all had two hits each.
The only Mets pitcher not to give up a run? Dominic Leone, of course. He pitched a scoreless 6th inning.
The Mets came back from 6-1 down to tie the game with a five run 6th inning, capped by a three run HR by Francisco Alvarez. The Mets then took the lead in the 7th on a single by Starling Marte before McMahon took the lead back for good in the bottom of the 7th.
Jurickson Profar's ninth inning triple extended his on-base streak to 34 games.
Turning Point
In a game full of twists and turns, the final one is the one we acknowledge as "the" turning point, and that's McMahon's homer in the 7th. The Mets had just taken a 7-6 lead in the top of the 7th after their six run rally tied it in the 6th. The momentum seemed to be going fully in the Mets direction.
Then Buck Showalter brought in Jeff Brigham, who had been pitching well lately. But he gave up the lead in two batters. A double by Elias Diaz, and this ...
Three Keys
Justin Verlander: You can probably chalk his outing up to being in Coors Field, but he did not have it tonight. Verlander's fastball was electric at sea level against the Guardians last Sunday, but that fastball deserted him in Denver. So he goes to the off-speed stuff, and the Rockies were all over those pitches too, as the snap on off speed pitches tend to flatten out above sea level. The outing could have been much worse as Verlander actually pitched a scoreless 4th and 5th to save the bullpen a little bit.
Francisco Alvarez: The young catcher deserves a lot of credit for fueling the Mets' comeback. He had an embarrasing moment to lead off the 3rd, as he was in easily on a triple, but picked his hand up for a split second as he was turning towards the dugout to celebrate while on the ground. But he more than made up for that. In the bottom of the 3rd, with the Mets already down 6-0 and runners on second and third, Verlander got hit in the calf with a comebacker, and threw one in the dirt to Alvarez to get the runner. Alvarez made a great play to pick up the short hop on the wrong side of the plate to get the runner.
Then in the 6th, the Mets came back from down 6-1. McNeil and Alonso singled, followed by a Brett Baty double to make the score 6-2. After another run came in on a Starling Marte groundout, and a fielder's choice by Mark Canha for the second out, Vientos kept the inning alive with a single, setting up Alvarez as the tying run:
Alvarez is now up to .273 on the season.
The Late Innings: Once the Mets took the lead in the 7th, the difference in the game was the bullpens. Brigham's two runs were the difference, but Drew Smith also came in and gave up two insurance runs in the 9th, while Justin Lawrence and Pierce Johnson held the lead for the Rockies.
The late innings have been a little dicey for the Mets as of late. David Robertson has given up home runs in his last two outings, while Brooks Raley had a tough Thursday in Wrigley Field. Now tonight: Brigham and Smith took it on the chin.
The bullpen going through a rough patch was bound to happen, and for it to happen in Chicago and Colorado isn't surprising at all. It was key in tonight's loss, but hopefully a mere blip on the radar going forward.