DJ Stewart, Mets fight back but fall short as JP Crawford, Mariners even series
The Mets fought back every step of the way on Saturday but couldn’t get over the hump. The AL West-leading Mariners’ offense proved to be too much to handle as the Amazins would fall 8-7 in the second of a three-game set.
JP Crawford’s go-ahead solo homer in the top of the ninth off of Adam Ottavino proved to be the difference after the Mets erased two separate three-run deficits to no avail.
DJ Stewart erased the first three-run deficit as his legend continues to grow late in this season. Stewart launched a three-run homer to dead center off of Mariners’ ace Luis Castillo in the bottom of the fourth with the Mets trailing 3-0.
The 29-year-old’s season OPS is up to 1.010 in 38 games this season. Stewart has capitulated his way into conversations regarding the Mets’ future with his strong brief season.
Castillo was roughed up a bit by Buck Showalter’s lineup. The right-hander tossed five innings allowing five runs on eight hits while striking out two. However, he was picked up by the Mariners’ offense who had their way with the Mets’ arms.
David Peterson did not have his best outing against Seattle. The southpaw surrendered four runs on seven hits while striking out four. The big blows came off the bat of Teoscar Hernandez who launched a solo homer in the second and added two more RBIs with a single in the third and a sac fly in the fifth.
Showalters’ bullpen did no better. In addition to Ottavino surrendering a massive homer, Dominic Canzone’s pinch-hit two-run homer highlighted a three-run top of the sixth off of reliever Grant Hartwig which proved to be crucial as Seattle took a 7-4 lead.
Francisco Lindor added a two-run homer in the bottom of the sixth to bring the Mets within one. Then, Jeff McNeil’s RBI triple in the bottom of the eighth to tie the game at seven. However, Crawford’s homer and Justin Topa’s scoreless ninth secured the victory for Seattle.
It wasn’t all bad for the Mets as Ronny Mauricio continued to impress making the big leagues look pretty easy. The 22-year-old recorded two more hits and is now 4-for-6 in his first two career games.
The infielder also made a series of solid defense plays over at second base as he begins to get his feet wet in MLB.
Mauricio wasn’t the only youngster to have a strong showing. Third baseman Mark Vientos put together arguably the best performance of his young career. Vientos went 2-for-3 with a walk including a solo shot in the bottom of the sixth. The 23-year-old has performed to the level he showed at Triple-A — .999 OPS in 61 games this season — however, the slugger showed why his bat has been so highly touted on Saturday night.
The Mets will turn to Tylor Megill (5.29 ERA) in the rubber match on Sunday. The right-hander will make his 21st start of the season. George Kirby (3.28 ERA) will take the ball for Scott Servais.
Source: Yahoo Sports
