Joely Rodriguez took the loss on Saturday as the Diamondbacks hung tough and surprised the Mets with a 3-2 victory. But in reality, it was Seth Lugo’s outing that should be some cause for concern going forward in the immediate future. So much so that somebody out there in Internet land, guaranteed, is going to write something about it. And their highly original title is going to be “The Mets Have a Seth Lugo Problem”.
I won’t read it.
But this is the second time out of three that Lugo has come in and given up two runs in an inning or less. The first was in the 5-4 loss to Philadelphia, with the second being today in the 7th inning. For comparison, Rodriguez threw 14 strikes in 17 pitches, and the only hit he gave up was a seeing eye bloop over Eduardo Escobar’s head. Lugo also threw 14 strikes, but in 24 pitches. He fell behind the second hitter he faced, Sergio Alcantara, 2-0 before throwing him a sinker that sunk when it went over the right field wall. Lugo would then walk Dauton Varsho with two outs before giving up an RBI double to Ketel Marte to make it 3-0.
I guess the “Seth Lugo Problem” as someone will call it isn’t so much that he’s starting slow, but that he’s such an important part of the Mets bullpen. But here’s teh good news: Lugo has historically been a bit sub-par in March/April, having a 4.08 ERA and a 1.30 WHIP in his career entering today. And with a short spring, certainly whatever normally ails him is sure to be exacerbated. Is this that? How long will this last? And is it because that’s what happens in April or is there a more natural decline happening here?
Thankfully the Mets are 6-3 so this isn’t an ailment in the realm of bleeding out. More like “my stomach feels a little funny. Maybe I should lay off the sour cream. Something like that.
After the Mets spent seven innings hitting fly balls which the Diamondbacks somehow turned into the most adventurous outs in major league history, Starling Marte brought the Mets to within 3-2 in the 8th with a dinger off Ian Kennedy (all these young guys on the Diamondbacks and it’s the 48 year veteran they touch up.) Kennedy followed that up with a four pitch walk to Francisco Lindor. With the crowd going nuts, Kennedy got a visit to the mound, which usually means fastball on the first pitch to get ahead. With Pete Alonso coming up, a first pitch fastball seemed like an intriguing possibility. The cauldron was bubbling. Alonso did get that fastball.
And he grounded into a double play.
Marc Melancon took care of lower part of the order with a pop-up and two strike outs (one to Robinson Cano on a curveball that bounced somewhere near the Shea Stadium pitching rubber), and that was your game. The Mets will have a chance to win the series with a Sunday afternoon rubber match. With four relievers following Carlos Carrasco’s five innings of shutout ball, the Mets might need to get themselves a cushion early to protect the key arms a little bit. David Peterson’s start will be key in this effort.
Today’s Hate List
1. Zac Gallen
2. Daulton Varsho
3. Gary Varsho
4. Ketel Marte
5. Ketel One
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