Bumbling Mets back home for four against Brewers

The Mets (35-42) return to Citi Field for four games against the Brewers (40-37). The Mets will look for some retribution against Milwaukee, who swept them in the first week of the season, which dropped them to 3-4 after winning three of four in Miami to begin 2023.

The Mets make the trip back to Flushing after dropping two of three to the Phillies to conclude a 2-4 road trip, which began with the New York dropping two of three to the Astros. The series kicked off with a 5-1 loss on Apple TV+ on Friday night. The sole run off Old Friend Taijuan Walker came on a Brandon Nimmo solo homer. Otherwise, the team was very sloppy behind Kodai Senga, who himself was a bit erratic but not entirely bad overall. Nimmo dropped a pop up, and miscommunication between Francisco Lindor and Tommy Pham led to additional runs. While Senga allowed two earned runs (four in all), he could have reasonably escaped without any runs against his record with better play behind him.

The Mets bounced back with a 4-2 victory on Saturday to halt their three-game skid. The Mets jumped in front with a Starling Marte solo homer, and grew their lead to two on a Luis Guillorme triple and Nimmo single. Max Scherzer was great, though allowed runs in the fourth and fifth to allow Philadelphia to tie it. The Mets put up two in the sixth, and the bullpen finished off three shutout innings for the win. The team’s top 3 in the lineup went 6-for-12 and scored three of the four runs while driving in two.

On Sunday, the Mets suffered perhaps their most infuriating loss of the 2023 season, falling 7-6 after carrying a 6-3 lead into the eighth inning. The Mets actually got to Zack Wheeler, scoring five runs against their old friends in 5 ¹⁄₃ innings. The Mets got runs in each inning between the third and seventh, including a go-ahead two-run single from Pete Alonso in the third, and solo homers from Lindor and Alonso. As mentioned, the Mets were six outs away from a series win when the bullpen completely imploded. Instead of going with Adam Ottavino, Brooks Raley, or David Robertson, Buck Showalter entrusted Josh Walker, who loaded the bases on two walks and a J.T. Realmuto single before giving way to Jeff Brigham. Brett Baty then made an error on what should have been a double play, instead resulting in no outs. Brigham then walked home the fifth run, and, after a brief reprieve on a Kody Clemens strike out, hit consecutive batters (Kyle Schwarber and Trea Turner) to put the Phillies ahead. Gary Cohen called it the team’s “most horrific loss to date this season, and it’s hard to argue.

The most head-scratching thing about the Sunday loss was Showalter’s bullpen management in the eighth. While has made some rough decisions this year with his pen, it made no sense to not use Robertson, especially when he had his closer warming up in the ninth. He clarified in the post-game that he was saving the right-hander for the ninth, which is an infuriating answer given the end result. Even if it worked out, it was still the wrong call to save your best pitcher for such a dire situation. Even Ottavino said he was available after the game. This is the kind of game that, realistically, could cost a manager his job, and Showalter’s days could be numbered.

The Brewers come into this series after taking two of three from the Guardians. Before that, they dropped two of three to the Diamondbacks. Milwaukee currently find themselves in second in the NL Central, half-game behind the Reds.

Monday, June 26: Colin Rea vs. Justin Verlander, 7:10 p.m. on SNY

Rea (2023): 62.2 IP, 54 K, 23 BB, 10 HR, 4.88 ERA, 4.87 FIP, 1.28 WHIP, 0.0 bWAR

Rea, who made one appearance for the Brewers in 2021, returned this year after pitching last year with the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks in Japan. He had his contract selected in April for a spot start and has stuck around, making 13 appearances (12 starts). In his last outing against Arizona, the right-hander went 5 ¹⁄₃ innings and allowed five runs (four earned) on seven hits, with two strikeouts and one walk. Prior to that, he went five innings against the Twins, giving up four earned runs on five hits, with four strikeouts and three walks.

Verlander (2023): 52.0 IP, 44 K, 13 BB, 8 HR, 4.50 ERA, 4.33 FIP, 1.21 WHIP, 0.5 bWAR

Verlander’s last start wasn’t his best, but it was far from his worst. In his return to Houston, he was tagged for three runs in the third inning, and it didn’t look like he would make it too deep into the game. He recovered and held the Astros off the board in the fourth, fifth, and sixth innings, and he came back for the seventh, where he allowed one more run. In all, he gave up the four runs on eight hits, with five strikeouts and no walks. The defeat dropped him to 2-4 on the year, as his ERA jumped to 4.50. It’s a far cry from the career-best and AL-leading 1.75 ERA he put up in 2023, which helped him earn the Cy Young Award.

Tuesday, June 27: Julio Teherán vs. David Peterson, 7:10 p.m. on SNY

Teherán (2023): 35.1 IP, 23 K, 8 BB, 3 HR, 1.53 ERA, 3.92 FIP, 0.88 WHIP, 1.4 bWAR

It’s a long time since Teherán was a two-time All Star pitcher for the Braves. In fact, he only made one start for the Tigers in 2021 before being shut down, and spent the entirety of last year playing in independent leagues. He found his way back to the majors on a minor league deal with Milwaukee this year and has been a revelation. To date, he has only allowed seven runs (six earned) in six starts with the Brewers. He has gone at least five innings and has now allowed more than two runs in any given start. His last time out, he hurled five shutout innings and scattered two hits, though he did walk a season-high four batters, which matched his walk total from his first five starts combined. Mets fans are all too familiar with the right-hander, who has posted a 2.98 ERA in 29 appearances against New York.

Peterson (2023): 39.0 IP, 45 K, 14 BB, 8 HR, 8.08 ERA, 4.78 FIP, 1.74 WHIP, -0.9 bWAR

With the Mets demoting Tylor Megill, and with Joey Lucchesi pitching over the weekend, the team really had no options but to recall Peterson for Tuesday’s start. The left-hander owns a 6.00 ERA over his last five Triple-A outings, so it’s not even like he’s been doing significantly better down on the farm. And yet, like Thanos himself, Peterson is inevitable. Prior to his demotion, Peterson had given up six earned runs on nine hits over five innings against the Nationals, which resulted in his sixth loss across seven decisions. In fact, he had picked up the loss in each of his last four major league starts, which saw him give up 21 earned runs over 18 ¹⁄₃ innings (10.31 ERA). But there is rain in the forecast on Tuesday, so there’s that to hope for.

Wednesday, June 28: TBD vs. Kodai Senga, 7:10 p.m. on SNY

TBD

The Brewers have not yet named a starting pitcher for Wednesday’s game.

Senga (2023): 76.2 IP, 93 K, 44 BB, 9 HR, 3.52 ERA, 4.13 FIP, 1.34 WHIP, 1.2 bWAR

Senga’s final line was not nearly as bad as it appears at first glance. The right-hander allowed four runs (two earned) on five hits, with six strikeouts and three walks over 5 ¹⁄₃ innings. However, two brutal defensive miscues behind him by Nimmo and by Lindor essentially led to all four of those runs crossing the plate. As a result, he was handed his fifth loss against five wins. Otherwise, Senga was able to limit the damage given the circumstances. Still, with his three walks, he has now issued 44 free passes in 14 starts, which leads all NL starters. Among qualified starting pitchers, his 5.17 BB/9 is the worst in the league. His eight wild pitches also lead NL starters, so his command remains a concern.

Thursday, June 29: TBD vs. Max Scherzer, 7:10 p.m. on SNY

TBD

The Brewers have not yet named a starting pitcher for Thursday’s game.

Scherzer (2023): 70.2 IP, 76 K, 16 BB, 12 HR, 3.95 ERA, 4.13 FIP, 1.18 WHIP, 1.3 bWAR

Scherzer is coming off his second strong start in a row after a disastrous outing against the Yankees on June 13. The right-hander hurled six innings of two-run ball to pick up his second win in as many outings. He only allowed one baserunner against the Phillies in his first three innings before serving up a home run to Nick Castellanos and allowing another run in the fifth. Once the Mets gave him another two-run lead, he was able to hold it in the sixth, and the bullpen finished things off from there. Over his last two starts, he’s allowed three earned runs on 11 hits, with 16 strikeouts and two walks in 14 innings. Hopefully this is the beginning of a solid string of starts for the Future Hall of Famer.

Prediction: The Mets and Brewers split their four-game set at Citi Field.