Quintana’s debut spoiled by bullpen, silent bats

After taking the first two games of the series with the White Sox, the Mets were finally getting a start from one of their free-agent signings and looking for a sweep. However, the baseball gods had other plans, and the Mets lost the game 6-2.

José Quintana made his first start of the season for his new club. In the first, Quintana retired the first batter he faced before giving up three straight hits, leading to the first run of the day. A lead off Zach Remillard double in the top of the second eventually came around for the second run of the day, but that was all that Quintana would give up.

Quintana would throw 77 pitches over five innings, giving up six hits and striking out three. For a first start off the IL, Quintana looked pretty good, and bodes well for the rotation in the second half.

In the bottom of the fifth, Omar Narváez, getting a rare start in the Francisco Álvarez era, hit a solo home run for the Mets’ first run of the game. With a single in the third, Narváez was responsible for the first two Mets hits of the game, and two of their only four all day. White Sox starter Michael Kopech kept the bats at bay all day, despite some control issues.

Drew Smith was the first out of the bullpen, and trouble started early. Pete Alonso misplayed a ball off the bat of Luis Robert Jr to start off the inning with a baserunner. A single to Eloy Jimenez, a walk to Jake Burger, and a double by Yasmani Grandal plated two additional runs. A sacrifice fly by Oscar Colas and a triple from Elvis Andrus brought in two more, putting the White Sox up 6-1.

David Peterson, Dominic Leone, and Trevor Gott pitched scoreless innings for the Mets, but the offense was mostly unable to respond. In the eighth, Brandon Nimmo led off with a double and eventually scored on a Pete Alonso opposite field single, bringing the Mets within four.

However, the bats went silent in the ninth, and the team dropped the finale of the series with a whimper. The Mets travel to Fenway Park tomorrow with to face the Red Sox, with Kodai Senga starting the first game.

SB Nation GameThreads

Amazin’ Avenue
South Side Sox

Box scores

MLB.com
ESPN

Win Probability Added

Fangraphs.com

What’s WPA?

Big Mets winner: Omar Narváez, +15.0% WPA
Big Mets loser: Drew Smith, -28.5% WPA
Mets pitchers: -30.3% WPA
Mets hitters: -19.7% WPA
Teh aw3s0mest play: Narváez’s solo home run, +12.7% WPA
Teh sux0rest play: Yasmani Grandal’s two-run double, -10.1% WPA