Mets Complete June Swoon With Giant Letdown

Patrick Bailey shaking Joc Pederson's hand, with Wilmer Flores nearby, after his three-run home run in the eighth inning. Photo by Jason Schott.

 

The Mets ended June with a heartbreaking loss to the San Francisco Giants, 5-4, as Patrick Bailey hit a game-winning three-run home run in the eighth to complete the comeback win.

This finishes a dreadful June for the Mets, in which they went just 7-19, and their record is now 36-46. They are now 18 1/2 games behind the Atlanta Braves (54-27) in the National League East, and 10 games behind San Francisco for the final Wild Card spot. 

The Giants improved to 46-36 with this win, and they concluded the month of June with a record of 18-8.

The Mets got off to a good start in this one against Giants starting pitcher Alex Cobb, as Francisco Lindor singled and came in to score on a double from Jeff McNeil that he served down the left field line.

The Giants tied it in the top of the second against Mets starter Carlos Carrasco, as Brandon Crawford had an RBI single.

In the bottom half of the frame, Tommy Pham singled and he took second on an error, as first baseman LaMonte Wade, Jr., fielded a grounder from Brett Baty, fired it to second base, and clipped Pham in the back. As it rolled to center field, Pham raced around to third base.

Mark Canha then struck out, but Omar Narvaez hit a sacrifice fly to center field, and Luis Matos airmailed it to the plate, which allowed Pham to score and make it 2-1 Mets. Pham's trip around the bases was aided by two errors.

Carrasco settled in, as he retired seven in a row after a Joc Pederson single to open the third inning.

Wilmer Flores, one of many old friends for the Mets playing for San Francisco, broke the stretch and tied the game at 2 when he crushed a solo home run to left field. It was his eighth home run and 24th RBI of the season.

Wilmer Flores pointing to someone in the stands after his fifth-inning home run. Photo by Jason Schott.

Pederson then drew a walk, but J.D. Davis, in his inaugural return to Citi Field as a Giant, bounced into a double play to end the frame.

The Mets got the lead back in the bottom of the fifth, as Brandon Nimmo singled and came home on another double down the left field line for McNeil, and that made it 3-2.

Carrasco would not come back for the sixth, but this lined him up for the win, and his final line was: 5 innings pitched, 5 hits, 2 runs (earned), 3 walks, 6 strikeouts.

Carlos Carrasco firing in a strike to J.D. Davis in the third inning. Photo by Jason Schott.

Cobb also went five innings for the Giants, as he allowed three runs (two earned) on six hits and no walks, with three strikeouts.

Left-hander Taylor Rogers was first out of the Giants bullpen for the sixth inning, and with one out, Pham crushed one to deep left that was either going to be fair or foul. It snaked inside the foul pole for a solo homer, and the Mets were up, 4-2, on his ninth dinger of the season.

The Mets bullpen began their night with Jeff Brigham retiring the Giants, four up, four down, in his 1 1/3 innings of work, and Brooks Raley got the final two outs in the seventh, both strikeouts.

Fort he eighth inning, with San Francisco having the top of their order coming up, the Mets rolled the dice and went to closer David Robertson.

Flores struck out looking to open the eighth inning before Pederson grounded one to first baseman Pete Alonso, who threw it past Robertson as he approached the bag. Alonso then crashed to the ground in anger at his mistake, which was part of a brutal night that also saw him break his bat with his thigh after he popped out foul to first base to end the fifth inning.

Davis then walked, and Patrick Bailey then crushed one to center field for a three-run home run, and San Francisco finally had the lead, at 5-4. It was the fifth home run of the year, along with 26 RBI, for the Giants catcher, who entered this one with an average of .324.

Tyler Rogers pitched a scoreless eighth, in which he worked around a Pham single, and Camilo Doval worked around a Luis Guillorme walk in the ninth to earn his 24th save of the season.

Bailey delivered another big moment in the ninth, as he threw out Starling Marte (who pinch ran for Guillorme) attempting to steal second base. That was the second out of the inning, and then Nimmo struck out to end it.

Sean Manaea pitched a scoreless seventh, and he earned the win to improve to 3-3, with a 5.68 ERA (earned run average) on the season, while Robertson took the loss for the Mets, so his record fell to 2-2 with a 2.00 ERA, and it was his third blown save of the year.