The push-pull of instant gratification vs. long-term planning is always an interesting one. Mets manager Carlos Mendoza has seen a lot in his first season as manager in Queens. In the second game of the series against the Marlins, he was faced with one of the short-term vs. long-term internal debates. Luis Severino was easily in the midst of his most successful start of the year. At the end of the seventh inning, Severino was still looking strong, and Mendoza sent him back out for the eighth inning. Even more interesting, after a quick conversation in the dugout, Severino was on the mound in the top of the ninth.
In the ninth, Severino was powered by the crowd at Citi Field to get through the last inning. The frame started with Severino hitting Jake Burger with a pitch to put a runner on. After a mound visit from Mendoza, Severino stayed on the mound. He followed that up with a strikeout, a pop out, and his eighth strikeout of the game to finish the complete game shutout. 113 pitches, the most by a Mets starter this season. The Mets first pitcher to throw nine innings since Jacob deGrom in April, 2021. Severino’s first shutout since 2018, the second of his career. Also, euphoria from the Citi Field crowd. For one day, it was baseball as it should be. A pitcher starting and ending the same game. This feat was accomplished only 35 times in all of 2023, and Severino’s was the 25th complete game of 2024.
While the euphoria and “OMG” emotion of a Mets complete game had the fans and players ecstatic for one day, one is left to ponder what it means for Severino moving forward. The Mets have history with an aging pitcher pushing the limits for a milestone, and sacrificing his arm in the future. Johan Santana was never the same after his no-hitter against the Cardinals on June 1, 2012. Santana threw 134 pitches in that game, and manager Terry Collins was faced with similar internal debates as Mendoza faced on Saturday. While a no-hitter is a much greater accomplishment than a complete game shutout, the sense of accomplishment for Severino, coming off injuries with the Yankees last year, cannot be understated.
Following the 2012 no-hitter, in his next start Santana gave up six runs in a loss to the Yankees. He ended up making 10 more starts. Over those, his ERA was 8.27 before he went down with a back injury. He had shoulder surgery the following April and hurt his Achilles during rehab. He never pitched in the major leagues again.
Hopefully, Severino will use this shutout as a springboard to positive starts for the rest of the way. However, Mets history does not look too favorably on aging pitchers who push their pitch counts for the glory of a single game achievement.
Following the series with Miami, the Mets record is 64-60, trailing the Phillies by nine games in the NL East, and are two games behind the Braves for the third Wild Card spot in the NL.
Here are the by-game rundowns of the Marlins series:
Game 1: Mets 7, Marlins 3
Following a tough end to the A’s series, the Mets got back on track against the Marlins in the first game of the series. Sean Manaea threw seven strong innings to pick up the win. Brandon Nimmo and Jeff McNeil each had a home run to help power the offense.
The Mets offense got off to a fast start with J.D. Martinez driving in the first run in the bottom of the first. Nimmo hit his 17th home run of the year, finishing the game with three RBIs, with McNeil chipping in his 12th homer and drove in two runs in the game. Francisco Lindor extended his hitting streak to 10 games and drove in a run, with his first triple of the year.
Manaea strung together another quality start, giving up three runs on five hits in his seven innings. He walked one and struck out four. With the win, his record stands at 9-5 with an ERA of 3.46. Bullpen hero Jose Butto went the final two innings without giving up a run. His season ERA stands at 2.44.
For Miami, the offense produced six hits against Mets pitching. No batter had multiple hits. Burger continued to perform well, with his 24th home run of the season, a solo shot. He has hit in eight straight games, producing 14 hits in 32 at-bats over those eight games, with seven home runs and eight RBIs. Derek Hill and Emmanuel Rivera drove in the other Miami runs.
Getting the start for the Marlins was Roddery Munoz. He went 3.1 innings and was charged with five runs (four earned) on five hits and three walks with five strikeouts. George Soriano was up next, going 2.2 innings and taking on two runs on four hits and two walks with two strikeouts. John McMillon went the last two innings, keeping the Mets off the board over that time.
Game 2: Mets 4, Marlins 0
This was Severino’s day, tossing the complete game shutout in front of a frenzied Citi Field crowd. Even Batman and Spiderman enjoyed themselves.
Lindor and Mark Vientos, at the top of the Mets lineup, contributed two hits and an RBI each. For Lindor, that included his 24th home run of the year as he extended his hitting streak to 11. Vientos hit his 18th double. Pete Alonso had a home run, his 27th of the season. The homer was Alonso’s 100th at Citi Field, joining Darryl Strawberry and Mike Piazza as the only others to accomplish that feat.
Severino’s final line was nine innings, with no runs on four hits and one walk with eight strikeouts. His record in 2024 is now 8-6 with a 3.91 ERA.
For the Marlins, three of their four hits were doubles, by Burger, Nick Fortes, and Otto Lopez. Jesus Sanchez struck out three times against Severino.
Max Meyer started for Miami, and went four innings. He surrendered four runs on six hits and three walks with three strikeouts. Miami’s bullpen shut out the Mets the rest of the way, with Emmanuel Ramirez going two innings, Brett de Geus going one, and Calvin Faucher going one.
Game 3: Marlins 3, Mets 2
Starling Marte made his return to the Mets lineup after missing eight weeks with a bone bruise in his knee. Marte delivered a base hit in his return and will continue to be an important piece moving forward.
The Mets had a lead in this game that they blew, and a prime scoring opportunity to tie or take the lead in the ninth that was squandered.
Lindor tied it up in the fifth with an RBI single, extending his hitting streak to 12. Nimmo, who has been showing signs of breaking out of his prolonged slump recently, slugged his 18th home run of the season in the sixth to put the Mets ahead 2-1. Jose Iglesias had two infield hits
Getting the start for the Mets was Paul Blackburn. He pitched well and left with a lead after six innings of one-run ball, giving up four hits with one walk and four strikeouts. Huascar Brazoban came on for the seventh against his former team and allowed the tying run on a wild pitch. He went 0.2 innings and was relieved by Reed Garrett, who finished the 0.1 innings remaining in the seventh and got two outs in the eighth. He was taken out with runners at first and second, with Phil Maton coming in. Maton gave up a single to allow the Marlins to take a 3-2 lead (hanging Garrett with the loss) but went 1.1 innings in total to finish off the ninth.
The Marlins first run was driven in by Fortes, after a triple by Lopez that was aggressively misplayed by Tyrone Taylor in center field. Hill had two hits and an RBI. Lopez and Rivera each had two hits as well. Fortes also provided an RBI. Burger cooled off, going hitless in four at-bats with three strikeouts.
On the mound for Miami to start was Valente Bellozo, making the sixth start of his career. He went 5.1 innings, giving up two runs on seven hits with two walks and four strikeouts. The rookie has been impressive, as his season ERA now stands at 2.45. Jesus Tinoco followed with 1.1 shutout innings, and Andrew Nardi 0.2 innings. Declan Cronin was next up in and induced an inning-ending double play. Faucher came on for the ninth and finished it for his third save of the season.
Photo Credit; Athlon Sports
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