The Mets finally got some solid pitching Wednesday afternoon, as Zack Wheeler battled through seven innings, allowing three runs. He wasn’t incredibly sharp, still struggling some with command and with putting away hitters, but given recent pitching results, it was quite the performance. Unfortunately, that didn’t lead to an actual victory, as Jake Arrieta was all the more impressive, silencing what has been an impressive Mets offense thus far this season over eight-plus innings before the Mets’ ninth-inning rally fell just short in their 3-2 loss to the Phillies.
After both sides went in order in the first inning, the Mets had an early opportunity when Michael Conforto led off the second with a single and promptly stole second base with no outs, but Conforto remained there. The Phillies manufactured an opportunity in the second and scratched across the game’s first run when Maikel Franco hit a sacrifice fly to score J.T. Realmuto.
The Mets didn’t record another hit against Arrieta until the sixth, and that was an infield single by Jeff McNeil. Wheeler surrendered solo home runs to Scott Kingery in the fifth and Cesar Hernandez in the sixth to increase the Mets’ deficit to three runs. Conforto homered leading off the seventh to get the Mets on the board, but Arrieta induced double play ground outs from Travis d’Arnaud to end the seventh and McNeil to end the eighth to quell any potential rallies.
Arrieta came out to start the ninth, but he faced only Pete Alonso, who reached on an infield single. A pair of hit-by-pitches from the Phillies’ bullpen and another infield single—this time from Amed Rosario—cut the Phillies’ lead to 3-2 and loaded the bases with two outs. Keon Broxton came up with the chance to play hero, but Hector Neris struck him out to short circuit the rally and give the Phillies the game and series victory.
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Box scores
Win Probability Added
Big winners: None
Big losers: Keon Broxton, -32.3%, J.D. Davis, -9.4%
Total pitcher WPA: -2.2%
Total batter WPA: -47.8%
Teh aw3s0mest play: Robinson Cano hit by pitch in the ninth inning, +12.1%
Teh sux0rest play: Keon Broxton strikeout with bases loaded to end game, -22.8%