Game one of today’s doubleheader ends in a tough loss.
The Mets entered the first game of today’s doubleheader having not yet lost to the Cardinals this season. They also entered it with no starting pitcher having given up more than four runs in a start. Alas, both of those streaks ended today, as the Mets were unable to overcome a rare rough starting pitching performance and fell to the Cardinals 6-5 to start off the day of baseball on a down note.
2022 second-round draft pick Blade Tidwell made his major league debut as today’s starter. His opponent on the mound for the Cardinals was Erick Fedde, against whom the Mets got the scoring started early. After the first two batters of the game were retired (with one of these two outs being a Juan Soto fly ball that just barely stayed in the ballpark), Pete Alonso and Brandon Nimmo proceeded to hit back-to-back doubles, giving Tidwell a 1-0 lead before he took the mound for the first time as a major leaguer. His first inning saw him give up a single but nothing else, giving him a shiny 0.00 career ERA as a big leaguer. Alas, that perfect number lasted for just the one inning, as Willson Contreras led off the second inning against Tidwell with a solo homerun that just squeaked over the right field wall, tying the game at a run apiece. Two more baserunners reached against the rookie starter—on a walk and a bunt single—but Tidwell also struck out his first two major league batters, including getting Lars Nootbaar looking at a called strike three to end the threat and keep the game tied.
The Mets then took back the lead in the top of the third, as Soto and Alonso led off the inning with back-to-back hits (including the latter’s second double of the game) to put runners on second and third, and a Jesse Winker fly ball with one out brought the run home. Alas, once again, Tidwell could not quite hold onto the lead, as three straight singles loaded the bases with one out in the bottom of the frame. Nolan Gorman then hit a fly ball to left field which scored the runner from third to tie the game, but the Mets were able to get the remaining two baserunners caught in a rundown, and completed the double play to get out of any further trouble.
After the Mets failed to score in the top of the fourth inning despite a leadoff walk and stolen base from Luisangel Acuña, Tidwell came back to the mound for what would be his final inning of work (of note: Jesse Winker left the game at this time for what would later be announced as right side discomfort; Mark Vientos came into the game to replace him, with Acuña and Jeff McNeil shifting to second and left field, respectively). He had struggled all day with baserunners, and it would come back to bite him in a major way in the fourth. A single (on a fly ball to center that Jose Azocar misjudged) and hit-by-pitch put two runners on with one out, but Tidwell retired the next batter to put him one out away from completing the frame. Alas, things fell apart at this point, as a walk to Alec Burleson loaded the bases, and Brendan Donovan knocked a single up the middle to score two runs. Another walk loaded the bases once more, and Willson Contreras then lined a single to right field to bring another two runs home and knock Tidwell out of the game. Génesis Cabrera came on to replace him and retired the next batter on a flyout to stop the bleeding, but the Mets still found themselves down 6-2. Meanwhile, Tidwell’s final line in his major league debut—3.2 innings, 9 hits, 3 walks, 2 strikeouts, and 6 earned runs—left quite a bit to be desired.
Cabrera would proceed to pitch a scoreless inning in the fifth. In the top of the following inning, the Mets finally chased Fedde out of the game after McNeil walked and Acuña singled to put two runners on against him. Kyle Leahy came on and was able to limit the damage, as he got two force-out ground balls from the next two batters, the latter of which did bring a run home to make it 6-3. But Soto proceeded to stare at strike three to end the inning and the threat.
The Mets bullpen—with Cabrera recording two more outs in the bottom of the sixth, Huascar Brazobán finishing the frame, and Austin Warren pitching a scoreless seventh in his first appearance as a Met—were able to hold the lead to three runs, and the bats would make another comeback attempt in the top of the eighth. With Phil Maton coming on to face his old team, the Amazins were able to load the bases in front of the top of the order with one out on a leadoff walk and then back-to-back one out singles. Francisco Lindor was then able to cut the lead down to just one run with a two-run single to right, and Oli Marmol decided to take out Maton in favor of lefty JoJo Romero. That decision almost looked like it would backfire, with Soto working a walk to load the bases and put the tying run ninety feet away with Alonso coming up. The Mets couldn’t have asked for a better opportunity to tie the game, but alas, Romero tossed a perfect 3-2 pitch to strike Alonso out looking, and Nimmo proceeded to fly out to center to end the inning and keep the score at 6-5.
And that would prove to be the final score, despite one more threat in the top of the ninth after a scoreless inning from Reed Garrett. Mark Vientos greeted Cardinals closer Ryan Helsley with a leadoff single and was quickly replaced by Starling Marte as a pinch runner. Marte would make it all the way to third base after a wild pitch and a sacrifice fly, but he would be stranded there, as Acuña popped up in the infield to end the game. Now Tylor Megill will take the mound in game two as the Mets try to salvage a series victory.
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Big Mets winner: Juan Soto, +9.7% WPA
Big Mets loser: Blade Tidwell, -44.5% WPA
Mets pitchers: -36.2% WPA
Mets hitters: -13.8% WPA
Teh aw3s0mest play: Francisco Lindor two-run single in the eighth, +14.3 WPA
Teh sux0rest play: Brendan Donovan two-run single in the fourth, -20.8% WPA