The Mets opened the season with a 3-1 loss to the Houston Astros on Thursday at Daikin Park.
Here are some takeaways...
- The birthday boy, Clay Holmes, took the mound making his first regular season start since 2018. After working his way easily through the bottom of the first, he began to labor and fell into some trouble in the second, before Jake Myers drove in the first run of the game with a bases-loaded fielder's choice.
Houston struck again in the third, as Holmes issued a leadoff walk to Isaac Paredes, who came around to score a few batters later on a Yainer Diaz single. He appeared to dance around further damage, but Luisangel Acuña threw a routine double play ball into the Mets' dugout to bring in another run.
New York's defense made up for it an inning later when Mark Vientos, Acuña, and Pete Alonso went around the horn for a double play to help Holmes work through a two-on and one-out jam. He retired the first two batters in the fifth but was pulled after issuing a two-out walk -- his final line: 4.2 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 4 BB, 4 K.
- Huascar Brazoban was one of the last additions to the Mets' Opening Day roster, so fittingly, he was the first man out of the bullpen this year. The right-hander built off his strong spring showing, striking out two while allowing just one hit and a walk across 2.1 strong innings behind Holmes.
- Juan Soto reached base in each of his first two at-bats -- singling in the first and then drawing a five-pitch walk in the third. The slugger had his first opportunity with a runner in scoring position in the top of the fifth, but Luis Torrens was gunned down trying to advance to third on a wild pitch.
Soto flew out to left leading off the next inning and then drew a walk against Framber Valdez -- before his biggest at-bat of the game came later on. The rest of the Mets' offense was held in check by Valdez, who wasn't exactly sharp but still only allowed four hits and two walks across seven shutout innings of work.
- New York was finally able to get something going in the top of the eighth when Astros right-hander Bryan Abreu loaded the bases with three straight two-out walks, but Brandon Nimmo flew out to center on the first pitch he saw to end the threat. Nimmo had one of the team's four hits earlier in the day.
- The Mets then loaded the bases against Josh Hader in the top of the ninth as Starling Marte and Tyrone Taylor started the game with singles, then Acuña drew a 13-pitch walk. After Hayden Senger struck out in his first career at-bat, Francisco Lindor lined a sacrifice fly, and then Soto stepped to the plate representing the go-ahead run.
Soto got ahead of Hader 3-0 but struck out swinging on a wicked slider out of the zone to end the game. New York had plenty of chances to change the tide in this one, but they stranded 10 men on base and went an ugly 0-for-6 with runners in scoring position.
- The Mets still own the highest winning percentage in baseball on Opening Day, but they've now been defeated on back-to-back years for the first time since 1999 and 2000.
Game MVP: Framber Valdez
The left-hander wasn't at his best, but he kept the new Mets lineup at bay, working through seven shutout innings.