The Mets have been the definition of inconsistent throughout this season, and the series against the Rockies in Colorado was no different. There were the up’s of a superstar doing superstar things (Francisco Lindor) and a newly acquired starter (Paul Blackburn) making a name for himself in New York. There was also the down’s of a veteran starter (Luis Severino) potentially running out of gas in the season, and veteran hitters (Brandon Nimmo, J.D. Martinez) in pretty big slumps. While these occurrences happen all the time in baseball, the peaks and valleys always seem more pronounced with the Mets, which is why it is particularly hard to trust them entering the homestretch of a playoff race.
Having said that, the Braves have been in an August swoon and the Mets entered the third game of the Rockies series with an opportunity to leave Colorado back in playoff position. They emphatically moved into that spot with a no-doubt win in the series finale. The Mets now stand alone in the third Wild Card spot with a record of 61-54, a half-game ahead of the Atlanta Braves.
Here are the rundowns of the games against the Rockies:
Game 1: Rockies 6, Mets 3
The Rockies took the first game of the three game series at Coors Field behind a home run from Jake Cave, two RBIs from Elias Diaz, and strong contributions from their bullpen.
The Mets received multiple-hit games from Nimmo and Jose Iglesias, with two apiece. Iglesias is batting .336 on the year with an OPS of .880, and has potentially been the best signing by David Stearns. Lindor delivered one hit in five at-bats but also struck out three times. Martinez has significantly cooled off as well. He is hitless over his last three games, spanning 10 at-bats and includes five strikeouts. Harrison Bader drove in two the three Mets runs, with Nimmo driving in the other.
Severino struggled again, though part of the explanation could be the hitters park that is Coors Field. This start lasted five innings, and Severino gave up five runs (four earned) on five hits with no walks and five strikeouts. Over his last three starts, he has gone 13 innings, surrendering 12 earned runs on 21 hits with four walks and 13 strikeouts. Severino struggled through injuries with the Yankees, so it is possible that he is just getting worn out as the season wears on. His situation is one that will certainly impact the Mets and how Carlos Mendoza plans his rotation moving through the race for the playoffs.
Huascar Brazoban went the next two innings for the Mets, keeping the Rockies off the board. Alex Young pitched the eighth and gave up one insurance run.
For the Rockies, Cave hit his fifth home run of the season, a two-run shot which was also the only homer hit during the game. Diaz, Kris Bryant, and Brendan Rodgers each had two hits for Colorado. In addition to the two RBIs each from Cave and Diaz, Rodgers also drove in a run.
Kyle Freeland started for the Rockies, but left after 4.2 innings with a blister. Over that span he was charged with three runs on four hits with two walks and seven strikeouts. Freeland was backed up well by the bullpen, which shut out the Mets over the final 4.1 innings. Justin Lawrence went 1.1 innings, picking up the win. He was followed by one scoreless inning each from Angel Chivilli, Tyler Kinley, and Victor Vodnik who picked up his sixth save.
Game 2: Mets 5, Rockies 3
The Mets evened up the series up in Colorado behind late-game heroics from Lindor, another good start from recently acquired Blackburn and continued bullpen mastery from Jose Butto.
With the score tied at two in the top of the ninth, Lindor came through with a two-run RBI single. That was his second hit of the day. Jesse Winker came through as well, from the three spot in the lineup, with three hits in five at-bats and an RBI following Lindor’s in the ninth. He is now batting .300 as a Met in 20 at-bats. Francisco Alvarez also had two hits. Nimmo struggled at the plate, hitless in five at-bats with three strikeouts.
Blackburn gave the Mets quality innings in his second start, keeping them in it over 93 pitches. He went six innings, giving up two runs (one earned) on five hits with two walks and five strikeouts. Butto pitched a scoreless seventh and eight to earn his fifth win of the season and lower his ERA to 2.30. Edwin Díaz pitched the ninth, giving up a run to make it a bit more interesting but still earning his 14th save.
The Rockies struggled with runners in scoring position, with only one hit in 11 at-bats (a Bryant RBI infield single in the fourth). Bryant delivered two hits, as did Cave who also had an RBI. The other Colorado run came courtesy of an Ezequiel Tovar home run, his 19th of the season.
Ryan Feltner got the start for the Rockies. He was taken out after the first inning with a shouldr/upper lat injury that will likely move him to the injured list. That put more strain on the Rockies bullpen, which performed very well until the meltdown in the ninth. Feltner gave up a run on two hits in his one inning of work. Noah Davis followed with four innings of one-run ball. This was followed by a scoreless inning each from former Met Chasen Shreve, Chivilli, and Kinley. Chivilli and Kinley were appearing in their second straight game, as did Vodnik. In this one he had less fortune than game one of the series, charged with three runs over 0.2 innings, saddled with his second loss of the year. Lawrence came on to get the last out of the top of the ninth.
Game 3: Mets 9, Rockies 1
The Mets got off to an unbelievable start in the rubber match of the series in Colorado, beginning the game with three straight doubles. That streak was only broken by a two-run home run by Alonso. The power of the Mets lineup was on display in this game, as they never looked back.
The Mets offense finished that first inning with four doubles (Lindor, Iglesias, Martinez, and Jeff McNeil), and four runs. Alonso added another home run in the third inning, his 25th of the season. Mark Vientos added a two-run homer in the fifth.
Getting the start for the Mets was David Peterson. He went five innings to earn the win, surrendering only one run on four hits with three walks and five strikeouts. Adam Ottavino was up next and pitched a scoreless sixth. Ryne Stanek had a scoreless seventh with two strikeouts, and Danny Young went the final two innings without giving up a run.
The Rockies struggled offensively. Their only run of the game was on a sacrifice fly by Brenton Doyle in the sixth. Tovar and Rodgers had two hits each.
Austin Gomber took the mound for the Rockies. After surviving the tough first inning, he only lasted three innings in total, charged with five runs on six hits with a walk and a strikeout. He was relieved by Peter Lambert, who went the next three innings and gave up two runs on five hits with a walk and three strikeouts. Riley Pint was up next and threw a scoreless inning. Anthony Molina pitched the eighth and ninth, giving up two runs.
Looking Ahead
The Mets now travel to Seattle to take on the Mariners. The Mariners are fighting for the playoffs in the American League. They are closer to the AL West division lead, where they are fighting with the Houston Astros, than they are to the Wild Card. The expected starters for the Mets are Jose Quintana, Sean Manaea, and the struggling Luis Severino.
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