Intro/Krom’s Korner
The London Series is over for the Mets and Phillies. They split the series one game each, with the Phillies winning easily in the first game and Mets winning in dramatic come from behind fashion, with some dramatics to seal it in the bottom of the ninth, in the second game. Though both teams traveled to London from the US for the two-game series, the “visiting” team won each game.
The Mets are not so patiently awaiting the re-arrival of their franchise catcher, Francisco Alvarez. While they do that, Luis Torrens has filled in admirably and is making the decision of what to do at the catcher position very difficult for manager Carlos Mendoza. With his consistent performance, Torrens is making a very strong case to stick around even after Alvarez returns. That would likely mean the end of the road for veteran Tomas Nido, after veteran Omar Narvaez was already DFA’d when Torrens was acquired.
The Legend of Luis continued to grow in the London Series. In the second (and final) game of the series on Sunday, neither bullpen seemed to want to close the door in the ninth inning. Then, on a broken bat dribbler in front of the mound, Torrens started a tough double play by snatching the ball, stepping on home plate, and firing to first base to complete the double play. After being acquired from the Yankees for $100,000, Torrens has provided consistency behind the plate to go with timely hitting.
These are the types of stories that make baseball great and fun to watch. The parallels to other parts of life are endless. With this change of scenery, and a chance to prove himself, Torrens has quickly made a name for himself that should propel him in his career.
Speaking of who sticks in the big leagues, the revised timeline for a possible return of ace Kodai Senga has been pushed out to after the All-Star Break. His original timeline was a return on May 27th. While this news is obviously concerning in the short-term, assuming Senga returns right after the All-Star Break and is in good form, the Mets will have to make some decisions with starters like Jose Quintana and Sean Manaea, neither of which pitched well in London against a tough Phillies lineup. Both can be trade bait ahead of the July 30th trade deadline.
Game 1: Phillies 7, Mets 2
Facing an early favorite for the National League Cy Young Award starting for the Phillies, the Mets did show some offense, but nowhere near enough to keep it close. Ranger Suarez continued his stellar season for Philadelphia, and the Mets played a bit cautiously which ended up biting them in a 7-2 loss. The stars were certainly out, mainly for Philadelphia, to show London how the US does baseball. Game One had the Mets as the home team.
The Mets offense staked New York to an early 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first on an RBI double by Starling Marte that scored Francisco Lindor. That lead stood until the fourth inning. Following a home run by Bryce Harper, the Phillies had runners at first and second with two outs as shortstop Edmundo Sosa lifted a fly ball to right. Marte, who would explain after the game that he couldn’t see the ball well, let it drop in front of him for a 2-1 Phillies lead. This was key as the next batter, Whit Merrifield, hit a three-run home run to give Philadelphia a 5-1 lead. Lindor, Pete Alonso, Marte, and Jose Iglesias all had two hits for the Mets. Brandon Nimmo and Torrens contributed a hit each and J.D. Martinez drove in the other New York run on a groundout.
Getting the start for the Mets was Manaea. Other than a first inning double to Harper, he was cruising until the fateful fourth inning. The solo home run from Harper, RBI by Sosa, three-run home run by Merrifield, and RBI single by Kyle Schwarber ended Manaea’s day in the fourth. His final line was 3.2 innings with six runs on seven hits and one walk with three strikeouts. Five relievers finished it off, surrendering only one more run over the 5.1 innings.
For the Phillies, Bryce Harper showed up as one would expect a superstar to. He went three for four with a double and home run. Each starter in the lineup for the Phillies other than Harper had exactly one hit.
Ranger Suarez did not disappoint in his start, further bolstering his early case for consideration for the NL Cy Young Award. He gutted his way through 5.2 innings, finishing with a stat line of two runs on eight hits and a walk to go along with six strikeouts. His record in 2024 stands at 10 wins and only one loss with an ERA of 1.81. The bullpen held up their end of the bargain too, going the remaining 3.1 innings and shutting the Mets out with only two hits allowed with two walks.
Game 2: Mets 6, Phillies 5
With the Phillies serving as the home team in this one, the Mets salvaged the series finale to earn a split in London. The Mets bullpen was taxed yet again and wound up making the game very interesting in the bottom of the ninth. The dramatic double play by Torrens with the bases loaded and one out in the last frame sealed the win for the Mets.
Offensively, the only Met with multiple hits was Jeff McNeil. With a combination of facing multiple lefties, Mendoza wanting to sit McNeil to get his head right, and the quality games strung together at second base by Jose Iglesias, this was McNeil’s first game in a week. He went two for four to raise his season average to .232. High drama ensued in the top of the ninth inning as the Mets faced Philadelphia closer Jose Alvarado. With runners on the corners, Mark Vientos delivered an infield single to tie it. After a walk to Torrens, Lindor struck out and Alonso was hit by a pitch to drive the go-ahead run in. A passed ball provided a very necessary insurance run.
Getting the start for the Mets was Quintana, and he did not fare much better than fellow southpaw Manaea did in the previous game. He also only went 3.2 innings, and he gave up three runs on six hits and two walks with a strikeout. Quintana is leaving London with a 1-5 record and an ERA of 5.29. Five relievers picked it up from there to finish the game. More drama ensued in the bottom of the ninth. Reed Garrett started the inning after a one-two-three eighth. After allowing runners to reach first and second with one out, he was relieved by Drew Smith. Smith loaded the bases and walked a run in before Torrens bailed the team out with the double play.
The Phillies delivered 10 hits but only capitalized to score the five runs. The RBIs were provided by Alec Bohm, Sosa, Merrifield, and David Dahl (who hit a solo home run off of Dedniel Nunez as a pinch hitter in the seventh).
Starting for the Phillies was former Met Taijuan Walker. Walker has not been having one of his better years and in this game he looked solid but only went 5.2 innings. Over those 79 pitches he gave up two runs on two hits with a walk and six strikeouts. Both the runs he was charged with were inherited runners that scored after Walker was relieved by Gregory Soto. The Mets were fortunate to avoid Zack Wheeler and Aaron Nola in this series, though obviously were challenged by Suarez in the first game of the series.
As I mentioned on The Sport Truth podcast, I couldn’t have cared less where this series was played; however, it appears that London was a good host to the Mets and Phillies.
With the series split, the Mets stand at 28-36 which is 16.5 games behind the first-place Phillies. After a travel day on Monday, the Mets return to Citi Field for a three-game series against the Miami Marlins. The last time these two teams played, in mid-May in Miami, the Marlins took two of three. They enter the series at 22-43, which is 23 games behind the Phillies.
Written by: Jason Krom
Stats by espn.com
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