Mets Player Performance Meter: Pitchers, June 5-11

While the hitting meter was a clear improvement from last week, the pitching meter is just the opposite, which is why the Mets only won one game last week. The only good performance from the starting rotation was that of Kodai Senga on Saturday in the only game they won. The bullpen did well in that contest as well, but also had some epically bad performances this week.

We’ll start with Kodai Senga, who is far and away the MVP of this week’s meter. He pitched seven scoreless innings on Saturday, giving up just two hits in the process and striking out six. The only reason he didn’t get a fireball this week is because he walked four batters; walks have been a persistent issue for Senga. But otherwise, he was brilliant, cruising his way to his sixth win of the season. Senga now holds a very solid 3.34 ERA for the season.

David Robertson earned his sixth hold of the season, pitching a scoreless eighth inning in relief of Senga on Saturday, working around a hit and striking out two in the frame. The issue is that Robertson’s other outing this week did not go as well. Robertson came in the game on Thursday in Atlanta with the Mets now up just one run in the eighth and successfully recorded the final two outs of that inning. But, then he came back out for the ninth and gave up a game tying homer to Orlando Arcia that sent the game into extras.

Tommy Hunter managed to get two outs in the tenth before giving up the most predictable walk off home run of all time to Ozzie Albies on Thursday to seal the Mets’ fate and complete the comeback for the Braves. Hunter also pitched the final two innings of Friday’s loss and yielded back-to-back solo homers to Carlos Santana and Jack Suwinski, but the game was well out of hand at that point. Hunter was designated for assignment the following day.

Zack Muckenhirn was also optioned as part of Saturday’s bullpen shakeup. He was called up on Friday and pitched 2 ¹⁄₃ innings in that contest, taking the situation from bad to worse by yielding three additional runs on six hits, which turned the game into a laugher.

Friday’s debacle began with a poor performance from Tylor Megill, who gave up nine runs on eight hits in just 3 ²⁄₃ innings of work. However, only seven of those runs were earned, as he was let down by his defense, the key play being Francisco Lindor bobbling what would have been a double play ball in the third inning. Still, Megill was unable to stop the bleeding and was handed his fourth loss of the season and a poop emoji. His ERA for the season is now over 5.

Megill wasn’t the only starting pitcher unable to go deep in the game for the Mets this week. Justin Verlander lasted just three innings in Thursday’s awful loss, giving up five runs—four of them earned—on seven hits. He struck out three batters, but also walked four batters. Though he left the game with the lead still in tact on a day when the Mets were able to get to Spencer Strider, it was an inexcusably bad performance from Verlander.

Stephen Nogosek came in the game after the Mets lengthened their lead on a Francisco Álvarez homer and pitched a clean fourth inning, but then gave up a solo homer to Marcell Ozuna to bring the Braves closer yet again. That was his only outing this week and he was designated for assignment the following day.

Jeff Brigham followed Nogosek and navigated the rest of the fifth inning and allowed a single and recorded the first out in the sixth. But Brooks Raley allowed his inherited runner to score, which was charged to Brigham. Brigham’s other outing this week was a clean, 1-2-3 seventh inning in Tuesday’s loss.

Though Brooks Raley allowed his runner inherited from Brigham to score in the sixth inning on Thursday, he was the only Mets pitcher that night who was not charged with an earned run himself. That was not the case in Wednesday’s game, in which Raley was charged with the loss. He recorded the final out of the seventh inning on Wednesday and came back out for the eighth inning. He got the first two outs of the inning, but gave up a double to Marcell Ozuna, who would come around to score on a go-ahead two-run homer by Michael Harris. Raley salvaged his week with a scoreless eighth inning in yesterday’s game with three strikeouts.

It was Adam Ottavino who gave up the home run to Harris that sunk the Mets on Wednesday. Ottavino appeared in three games this week and gave up runs in two of them. He yielded an insurance run to the Braves in the eighth inning of Tuesday’s loss. But he ended his week on a high note, tossing a 1-2-3 ninth inning to close the books on the Mets’ only victory of the week.

Carlos Carrasco was the only starter to start two games this week and didn’t pitch particularly well in either of them, but he pitched well enough to keep the Mets in both games. On Tuesday, Carrasco had yielded just one run on an Ozzie Albies solo homer through five innings of work and began the sixth with a three-run lead. However, he failed to record an out in the sixth, giving up a walk and a single and then a two-run double to Sean Murphy that brought the Braves within a run. Carrasco gave up only two runs in yesterday’s game, but still took the somewhat tough luck loss with the Mets being shut down by Mitch Keller. Carrasco lasted only 4 ²⁄₃ innings though, striking out one batter and walking three in the outing.

Drew Smith was tasked with getting out of the sixth inning on Tuesday in relief of Carrasco and failed to get the job done. He got the first two outs of the inning, but then gave up a double to Marcell Ozuna and a go-ahead RBI single to Orlando Arcia that would ultimately be the difference in the game. Smith also pitched in Thursday’s game and induced a key double play off the bat of Ronald Acuña Jr. to end the seventh inning, but then gave up a home run to Travis d’Arnaud in the eighth that brought the Braves within a run and set things in motion for the backbreaking loss. Smith did bounce back with a scoreless seventh inning in yesterday’s game, however.

Josh Walker—fresh off being recalled from Triple-A—also had a scoreless outing in yesterday’s game, pitching 1 ¹⁄₃ innings in relief of Carrasco. He is one of only two Mets relievers to be unscored upon this week. The other is Dominic Leone, who retired all three batters he faced in Tuesday’s game in relief of Max Scherzer. That was his only outing this week.

Speaking of Max Scherzer, Tuesday’s game was a weird one for him. He struck out ten Braves, but he also ultimately gave up five runs on eleven hits in 5 ²⁄₃ innings of work. Eleven hits seems like a lot, but a fair number of them didn’t leave the infield, as Scherzer was the victim of some bad BABIP luck. Still, it ultimately ended in a Mets loss.