The Mets got two early jolts from Francisco Lindor and Juan Soto, grabbed a brief lead, and still walked away with a 6-3 loss to the Astros after the game slipped away in the middle innings.
It started with a punch to the gut for Zac Thornton. On his third pitch of the first inning, Jeremy Peña launched a lead-off home run. Thornton steadied himself after that, striking out the next two hitters and then getting Christian Walker to ground into a force out after Jose Altuve’s single into center field.
The Mets answered immediately against Astros rookie Ethan Pecko. Lindor led off with a home run on a full count, and Soto followed with a blast on the first pitch he saw.
Bo Bichette then added a single into right field with no outs recorded, but the inning stalled from there as the next three Mets batters were retired in order. Even so, the Mets were up 2-1 after one.
Thornton ran into trouble again in the second. He hit Yainer Diaz with a pitch, then watched Nick Allen lay down a soft bunt that left everyone safe when the throw to first came too late. Peña made him pay with an RBI single to center that scored Diaz and moved Allen to third, though Yordan Alvarez flied out to keep the damage limited and tie the game at 2-2.
The Astros kept pressing in the third and fourth, but Thornton limited the damage. Walker singled in the third, and in the fourth Allen doubled into the left-field corner with two outs before Peña grounded out to Lindor. Thornton then finished off a 1-2-3 fifth, but his night ended there.
The Mets had been quiet for most of that stretch before A.J. Ewing sparked something in the fifth.
He walked, stole second, and took third when Diaz’s throw bounced past Peña. Marcus Semien walked, Luis Torrens grounded into a double play, and Ewing scored on the play.
Francisco Lindor then grounded out, but the Mets had slipped back in front, 3-2.
That lead didn’t last long. Jonathan Pintaro came on in the sixth and, after a two-out double by Diaz, gave up a two-run homer to pinch-hitter LaMonte Wade Jr. in right field. Allen followed with a single to center, and although Peña struck out to end the inning, the Astros were back on top, 4-3.
The game got away in the seventh. Jefry Yan walked Isaac Paredes, then allowed a single to Altuve when a comebacker deflected off his glove.
After Yan hit Walker to load the bases, Daulton Varsho grounded out to first, scoring Paredes. Jared Young’s throw home sailed wide, and Altuve and Walker both crossed the plate.
Yan did get Diaz to strike out, but the Astros had pushed the lead to 6-3.
The Mets did not muster much late. Austin Warren worked a scoreless eighth for the Astros, retiring the side in order. In the bottom half, Soto and Bichette drew walks with one out, but the Astros turned to lefty Steven Okert and he shut the door by retiring Carson Benge to leave both runners stranded.
Chris Devenski, facing his former team, handled the ninth with a 1-2-3 inning. Josh Hader then worked around a brief mound delay, retired the first two hitters he faced, and allowed an Ewing double to center before Semien flied out to end it.
The Mets head to St. Petersburg to open a new series against the Tampa Bay Rays tomorrow. Robert Stock is scheduled to face Ian Seymour, with first pitch set for 6:40 PM.
In Other News...
Mets Just Saw Their Luis Robert Decision Take An Awkward Turn
The Mets decision to place Luis Robert Jr. on waivers was always going to invite some attention, but the outcome turned quickly once Baltimore stepped in and claimed him. New York moved him because of the salary still attached, a cost-saving move that made sense on paper, while the Orioles, hanging around the Wild Card race, saw enough value to take the shot. It is the kind of roster shuffle that can make a front office look pragmatic one day and a little exposed the next.
For the Mets, the awkward part is less about the mechanics than the optics. Robert is gone before the waiver process could even settle into a quiet footnote, and the Orioles recent trade deadline activity made it clear they were still willing to keep adjusting their outfield mix. In a stretch where every roster move gets read through the lens of timing and intent, this one leaves New York with an uncomfortable reminder that saving money and losing a player can be two very different kinds of business. [Read more 🡒]
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His return comes in the wake of Luis Robert Jr. being released by New York and then claimed on waivers by the Baltimore Orioles, opening a spot for the Mets to take another look at a player they view as part of the future. For Morabito, the opportunity is simple enough in theory and difficult in practice: keep producing enough to make the Mets think twice before sending him back down again. [Read more 🡒]
Mets Gamble On Luis Robert Jr. Now Looks Much Harder To Defend
The Mets took a swing on Luis Robert Jr. with the expectation that he would be a meaningful part of their lineup, and for a brief stretch it looked like they might have found a difference-maker. Instead, the early burst faded, injuries followed and the move quickly became harder to justify as the production never matched the price or the projection that came with him.
By the time the Mets put Robert on waivers to cut costs, the transaction had already turned into one of those deals that invites an uncomfortable second look. The bigger issue now is not just what Robert did or did not provide, but what the club gave up to get him in the first place, especially with other internal and external options available to fill the same role. [Read more 🡒]