The Mets saw their pitching staff strikeout 15 hitters, but the offense mustered just two hits in a 1-0 loss to the Boston Red Sox on Wednesday.
Here are a few key takeaways ...
-Fresh off his 15-strikeout, two-hit shutout, Jacob deGrom got his night started by punching out Enrique Hernandez on a 101 mph fastball, as he went on to retire the side in order in the first. He allowed a leadoff double to Xander Bogaerts in the second, and Christian Vazquez followed suit with a double to right-center later in the inning, giving Boston a 1-0 lead.
Unlike his last outing when he was just blowing fastballs by the Nationals, deGrom had trouble getting his heater past a Red Sox team that hits the fastball very well. Still, deGrom made it through the first four innings allowing just the one earned run on three hits, striking out five.
-The Mets ace started to find his groove in the fifth, though, striking out the side on 13 pitches, but then it was a bit of a slog again in the sixth, as deGrom walked Alex Verdugo, breaking a streak of 66 consecutive batters faced without a walk.
DeGrom’s night would end after six innings of one-run ball as his pitch count ticked up to 93. He allowed just three hits and struck out nine, but he didn’t seem to have his best stuff on the mound. He also had his five-game hitting streak snapped.
- Back in the starting lineup, Brandon Nimmo led off the game with a walk, followed by another walk to Francisco Lindor, giving the Mets two runners on with no one out. But the next three Mets went down, including Pete Alonso, who struck out for the sixth consecutive at-bat.
- In the bottom of the sixth inning, Lindor struck out on a high fastball from Garrett Whitlock, once again hearing a smattering of boos. Alonso then broke out of his mini skid with a groundball single the opposite way, but Michael Conforto went down looking for the second out of the inning. After J.D. Davis walked to move Alonso into scoring position, Dom Smith tapped out to Vazquez, stranding two runners on base and continuing the Mets’ RISP woes.
- Aaron Loup allowed a hit but pitched a scoreless seventh inning. Trevor May then struck out the side in a scoreless eighth inning, continuing his streak of four brilliant performances. Edwin Diaz was brought in to pitch the ninth with the Mets still down 1-0, as he struck out two hitters in a 1-2-3 inning.
On the night, Mets pitchers struck out 15 Red Sox hitters and allowed only four hits.
-In the bottom of the eighth, Lindor hit a screaming line drive to second base, but Marwin Gonzalez made an incredible leaping catch to rob the Mets shortstop of a hit. Lindor was 0-for-3 on the night with two strikeouts and a walk.
-In the bottom of the ninth, Conforto went down swinging for his third strikeout of the night. Davis then went down swinging as well, and Smith punched out to end a dreadful night at the plate for the Mets, who struck out 15 times and mustered just two hits