Dominant deGrom defeated by masterful Bumgarner

The Mets wrapped up their series against the Giants this afternoon, but they were unable to overcome an outstanding performance by Giants ace Madison Bumgarner. As he has done all season, Jacob deGrom mostly shut down the opposing offense, but a few key hits allowed the Giants to score.

The game was scoreless going into the third inning. But a leadoff walk to Steven Duggar proved to cost the Mets a valuable run. Duggar stole second base, his fifth stolen base of the year, before scoring on a passed ball by Devin Mesoraco with two outs in the inning.

The Giants scored again in the fourth inning. This time, San Francisco’s rally was started by a single to right field by Austin Slater. Then, with two outs in the inning, Nick Hundley worked a crucial walk—which included a missed strike three call by home plate umpire Tony Randazzo. With runners on first and second, Madison Bumgarner drilled a double to left field to extend the Giants’ lead to two, proving once again that he is a presence at the plate.

The bottom half of the fourth inning seemed promising for the Mets due to singles by Wilmer Flores and Jose Bautista. They were unable to make anything of it, though, as Jeff McNeil lined out to Joe Panik to end the inning.

Jacob deGrom, who delivered another brilliant outing, was relived in the sixth inning after striking out ten batters and giving up only four hits and two runs, just one of which was earned. deGrom did walk four batters.

The top of the sixth inning also saw catcher Devin Mesoraco removed from the game because of a stiff neck. Tyler Bashlor relieved deGrom and pitched well, as he gave up just one hit over two innings of work. But that proved to be costly.

In the bottom of the seventh inning, the Mets’ offense was given a much needed jolt with a solo home run by Todd Frazier to cut the Giants’ lead in half. Following the homer, Jose Bautista was hit by a pitch, prompting a mound visit from the Giants’ pitching coach. The Met’s really seemed to have a rally in the works once Jeff McNeil followed that with a single, however, they were unable to cash in on a valuable opportunity after Kevin Plawecki grounded into a double play.

In the top of the eighth, the Giants responded with a solo home run of their own from third baseman Evan Longoria, giving them a 3-1 lead. To open the ninth inning, Bashlor was replaced by reliever Drew Smith, who pitched nicely in his one inning of work, striking out both Nick Hundley and Alen Hanson, who pinch hit for Bumgarner.

The Mets were unable to scrap together a last-minute rally in the bottom of the ninth. Giants reliever Will Smith closed out the game with a strikeout of Jeff McNeil, earning his eleventh save of the year.

Although deGrom pitched yet another gem, the Mets’ offense was unsurprisingly unable to back him up. Unfortunately, it seems as though that is one of the major headlines of this lost season. Both Jose Bautista and Todd Frazier had good days at the plate. Bautista went 2-for-2, while Frazier went 1-for-4 with the home run. But it was clearly not enough to best the triumphant Bumgarner—and another frustrating day for the Mets and their fans.

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Win Probability Added

What’s WPA?

Big winners: Jose Bautista, +15.8% WPA
Big losers: Kevin Plawecki, -24.4% WPA, Michael Conforto, -13.1% WPA
Teh aw3s0mest play: Todd Frazier hits a solo home run in the seventh, +14.5% WPA
Teh sux0rest play: Evan Longoria hits a solo home run in the eighth, -12.7% WPA
Total pitcher WPA: -2.4% WPA
Total batter WPA: -47.6% WPA
GWRBI!: Madison Bumgarner