Final Score: Astros 3, Mets 1—Granderson hits 20th home run, bullpen can't hold one-run lead

In the early going last night, things went well enough for the Mets. Jon Niese was throwing up zeroes, and in the fourth, Curtis Granderson hit twentieth home run of the season, a solo shot into the stands underneath the Pepsi Porch. With the way Niese was pitching—effectively and efficiently—that seemed like it just might be enough for the Mets to win the game.

But with one out in the sixth inning, Niese appeared to be out of sorts a bit and was removed from the game. It turned out he had an elevated heart rate, something he has dealt with in the past. Carlos Torres, who had been on an excellent run for the last month or so, came in and warmed up on the mound and promptly surrendered three runs on the following sequence: double, single, double, hit by pitch, single. Only two of the runs were earned, as Anthony Recker dropped the ball on a tag that would have resulted in an out rather than the second run scoring.

That was pretty much it. The Mets barely managed to threaten to score against the Astros' bullpen.

GameThread Roll Call

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