Mets Unable to Take Advantage of Buehler's Unexpected Day Off

Red Sox 2 Mets 0 (Fenway Park, Boston, MA)

Mets Record: 29-20

Mets Streak: L3

Mets Last 10: 5-5

WP: Clay Holmes (5-3)

LP: Garrett Whitlock (2-0)

SV: Aroldis Chapman (8)

Seat On The Korner: Wally the Green Monster

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.

The Sox win tonight was a team win, as 7 Boston pitchers combined to keep the Mets off the board, while the Red Sox bats were almost just as quiet. Therefore, the Seat on the Korner goes to a character who represents the whole team, Wally the Green Monster. The actual Green Monster in Fenway Park's left field played a bit of a role tonight, as both Sox home runs barely cleared it, while Mark Vientos' rising liner met its end at the wall, limiting the Mets DH to a double.

Need To Know:

• This Mets losing streak has reached 3 for the first time this season. They played 48 games without losing three-in-a-row, the fourth-longest such streak in team history. Their longest, 77 games, came in 2006.

• The Mets have scored 8 total runs in their last 6 games, and have not hit a home run since Brett Baty's go ahead home run in the 7th inning of last Tuesday's night's win over Pittsburgh.

• They have now gone 6 straight games without a home run, the first time they've done that since July 19-24, 2015.

• So far this season, the Mets are 7-14 when they don't hit a home run and 22-6 when they do.

• Tonight's loss puts the Mets road record at 12-15.

• With two more walks tonight, Jeff McNeil has now walked 10 times in his last 12 games, and has now reached base safely in 17 of his 21 games this year.

• The Mets now own a 286-285 overall record in interleague play.

  
  

Turning Point:

In the top of the third, with one our and the score still knotted at 0-0, Boston starting pitcher Walker Buehler, making his first start since coming off the Injured List, hit Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor with a pitch. After a first-pitch ball to Juan Soto, Walker's second pitch looked like a strike to some. Home plate umpire Mike Estabrook was not one of those people. Lindor was running on the pitch and easily beat the throw to second for his seventh stolen base of the season. By the time the ball made it back to the mound, Buehler had been tossed from the game for arguing balls and strikes with the ump. Moments later, Red Sox manager Alex Cora, followed suit.

With Buehler's replacement Brennan Bernardino on the mound, Soto walked, putting runners on first and second with just one out. For a team that's been struggling to score runs lately, this was a rare opportunity with the opposition seemingly on the ropes. The Mets were unable to take advantage, however, as Pete Alonso followed up with a slow grounder to third, which did move the runners over at the expense of a second out. Brandon Nimmo ended the threat with a hard liner to center field.

Three Keys:

Getting Defensive

The Mets certainly had no trouble with the glove tonight. Brett Baty continues to provide near-daily highlights at the hot corner, with multiple noteworthy plays tonight.

The Mets fielding play of the game, however, came in the bottom of the second. With runners on second and third with just one out, Sox catcher Carlos Narvaez hit a hard line drive to left. Brandon Nimmo snagged it for the second out, then threw a perfect strike on a line to catcher Francisco Alvarez in plenty of time to nab Nick Sogard who was trying to tag from third. Inning over, score still tied at 0. The Nimmo throw went 91.8 MPH, the hardest throw on any assist in his career.

Quality Clay

Mets starter Clay Holmes continued to his solid start to the season, giving up just 2 runs (on 2 solo home runs) in 6 innings to earn his 4th Quality Start of the season. The Mets righty gave up 4 hits and 3 walks while striking out 5.

Unlucky 7

The Mets went 0-7 with runners in scoring position tonight. They wasted chances in the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th innings.

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