Coming off a mile high high after winning a series in Colorado against the Rockies, the Mets rolled back down to earth in Seattle against the Mariners. The offense was non-existent for the series in the Pacific Northwest. The Mets ran their offensive scoreless streak to 24 innings before a Jeff McNeil solo home run in the sixth inning of the series finale.
At the series conclusion, the Mets record is 61-57, which is eight games behind Philadelphia in the NL East, and a half-game behind Atlanta for the final Wild Card spot in the National League.
The Seattle pitching staff boasts a top-notch starting rotation in the majors, and the Mets were unable to solve the likes of Bryce Miller, Logan Gilbert, and Luis Castillo. As a staff, the Mariners pitchers lead the majors in ERA.
Regardless of who they are facing, the Mets lineup obviously needs to produce better if they are going to make the playoffs. If they do make the postseason, the Mets will be facing the best of their opponents pitchers each game, so games like these against Seattle are good tests and the Mets are just not measuring up.
The Mets have been through slumps and losing streaks a few times through this season, including starting the season at 0-5. These games were at the tail end of a long roadtrip, so that could be a part of it. However, this series in Seattle could be one of the worst. Through it all, manager Carlos Mendoza has continued to rally his club, managing as a veteran and not someone running his first major league clubhouse. Some Mets fans are jumping off the bandwagon, but they should be careful as the Mets will likely continue to pull them back in.
Game 1: Mariners 6, Mets 0
The Mets looked like they left their bats in Colorado in this one, as they were shut out by Bryce Miller and three relievers to start an important series for both teams. Jose Quintana battled throughout in taking the loss, in a game where he did not pitch nearly as well as he had in the past.
The Mets offense produced only seven hits, with McNeil being the only member of the lineup with multiple hits (two). J.D. Martinez, Brandon Nimmo, and Mark Vientos each had a double for New York; however, the Mets were hitless in eight at-bats with runners in scoring position. Francisco Alvarez, who earlier this year was a budding superstar, was hitless in three at-bats with runners in scoring position. His average is down to .267 after this game where he struck out twice.
Quintana was charged with five runs on four hits and two walks with eight strikeouts in 6.2 innings of work. Mendoza gambled a bit in sending Quintana out for the seventh, though he had retired 14 in a row heading into the seventh. He gave up a few light hits, and was not helped by Adam Ottavino. Over 0.1 innings, Ottavino was charged with one run. Alex Young pitched a scoreless eighth.
For the Mariners, Ryan Bliss homered for just the second time in his career. His two-run blast in the second inning ended up being the game-winning runs. Leo Rivas and Cal Raleigh each had two RBIs as well. Dylan Moore had the only multi-hit game (two singles) for Seattle.
Miller was strong on the mound for the Mariners, going six scoreless innings for his ninth win of the year. His season ERA stands at 3.46. Collin Snider pitched the seventh, Austin Voth the eighth, and Trent Thornton the ninth to complete the shutout.
Game 2: Mariners 4, Mets 0
Logan Gilbert and two relievers combined on another shutout for the Mariners and they took the second game of the series as well. By the end of the game, the Mets had not scored in nineteen consecutive innings. This was Seattle’s major league-leading thirteenth shutout of the year.
While the Mets made contact, it was not strong contact. Despite only six strikeouts, the lineup only produced four hits. Francisco Lindor had half of the team’s hits, going two for four with both being singles. Martinez and Harrison Bader also contributed singles.
On the mound, Sean Manaea looked to follow up his last two great starts with another gem, but it did not happen. The Mariners jumped on him in the first inning, scoring three runs. Over 85 pitches, Manaea went only three innings, giving up three runs on four hits with five walks and three strikeouts. The bullpen chipped in five innings, with two scoreless from Huascar Brazoban, and one scoreless each from Reed Garrett (who struck out the side in the sixth) and Danny Young. Phil Maton pitched the seventh and gave up a run.
The Mariners offense got started early, with three of their four runs coming in the first. Randy Arozarena had an RBI double to drive in the first run on his way to a two for three day. Former Met Justin Turner followed with an RBI double of his own, and he also went two for three. Mitch Haniger capped the scoring in the first with an RBI single. Seattle’s fourth and final run came courtesy of a Turner RBI single in the seventh as he finished with two RBIs.
Gilbert picked up his first win since July 9th. His record stands at 7-8 on the year, with an ERA of 2.91. He was followed by Yimi Garcia, who threw a scoreless eighth, and the shutout was finished by Andres Munoz.
Game 3: Mariners 5, Mets 1
The Mets finished the series in Seattle the same way it started. The offense was inept, and the pitching was not good enough to keep them in the game. For the Mariners, it was the Cal Raleigh Show, as he hit two home runs and drove in five. Jorge Polanco also homered for the Mariners.
The Mets continued to be outmatched when they were at the plate. Similar to the second game of the series, it was Lindor and then everyone else. Lindor had two hits on the day, including his 29th double. McNeil delivered his 11th home run of the season. They continued to fail in the clutch, going hitless in eight at-bats with runners in scoring position.
Luis Severino started for the Mets. While he made it through the first four innings relatively unscathed (only the solo home run to Polanco), he ran into trouble in the fifth. After giving up three in the frame, including a two-run shot by Raleigh, his line was four runs on six hits and two walks with eight strikeouts over five innings. Ryne Stanek was next up for the sixth inning, and he only lasted 0.1 innings, charged with four runs before yielding to Ottavino who was tagged for two more in 0.2 innings. Danny Young was in for the seventh but did not fare much better, charged with two runs in 0.2 innings. Maton was the only Mets pitcher to not be charged with a run, going the final 1.1 innings.
The Mariners offense did not have to do much, given the Mets were not doing any scoring. However, they put on a show in this game. Raleigh had three hits including his two home runs (his 25th and 26th of the season), and Polanco and Dominic Canzone also had multi-hit games. Other than Raleigh’s five RBIs, Victor Robles had two, Arozarena had two, and Polanco and Leo Rivas had one each. Julio Rodriguez returned to the Seattle lineup, striking out in all five of his at-bats. Safe to say the rest of the lineup picked him up in his return.
On the mound to start for the Mariners was Luis Castillo and he kept the Mets off balance most of his start. The only blemish over his six innings was the home run to McNeil. Collin Snider then came in, and pitched a scoreless seventh, while Voth kept the Mets scoreless in the eighth. Troy Taylor, in his major league debut, pitched a scoreless ninth with two strikeouts.
Up Next
The Mets mercifully get to return to the friendly confines of Citi Field following an off day on Monday. Starting Tuesday, they will host the Oakland A’s for a three game series, then the Miami Marlins for three, and the Baltimore Orioles for three more. These nine games will be the only nine that the Mets play at Citi Field in the month of August.
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