The Mets had little to offer on offense and even less on the mound in a lopsided loss to the Brewers, a game that turned ugly fast and never really came back.
A.J. Ewing gave the home side its one real jolt right away in the bottom of the first.
His leadoff line drive smashed into Dustin May, who spun away to avoid the worst of it and took the ball off his right shoulder blade. May was done after that one pitch, and Robert Gasser picked up the pieces for Milwaukee.
Gasser settled in and handled the rest with ease, working five-and-one-third innings, striking out six and allowing just one run. Robert Stock could not keep pace. After a scoreless first inning, he was tagged for seven runs on ten hits across four innings, with two strikeouts and two walks.
The Brewers’ biggest inning was a parade of singles, one after another, the sort of rally that feels straight out of the 2015 Royals playbook. It got the job done, even if it was not exactly a pleasant watch.
There was also a health scare for Bo Bichette, who exited a few innings early after fouling a ball off his foot earlier in the game. The Mets said he left with a contusion.
With the game already well out of hand, the Mets also pulled Francisco Lindor for the final stretch.
Even after this one, the Mets still have a shot to take the series in the rubber game tomorrow night at Citi Field. And if the game itself wasn’t worth your time, the late-inning broadcast stretch apparently was - Gary Cohen and Keith Hernandez spent the eighth and ninth innings going through baseball cards, something they had not done yet this season.
In Other News...
Mets Prospect Sammy Stafura Is Suddenly On A Fast Track
Sammy Stafuras path to Queens has moved quickly since the Mets acquired him on Aug. 3 in the deal that sent reliever Luke Weaver and cash to Cincinnati. The 2023 Panas graduate and Gatorade New York Baseball Player of the Year was already familiar with a fast-moving career arc after being drafted by the Reds and bouncing through multiple minor league stops, and he has now landed at High-A Brooklyn with a new organization that clearly sees more than just a depth piece.
Eduardo Nunez is among those who think Stafura could rise fast through the system, with the Mets manager saying the infielder has a chance to keep climbing quickly and even put himself in position for a big league debut as soon as next season. For a prospect still settling in with his new club, that kind of timetable raises the stakes immediately, especially for a player whose stock has climbed from local standout to someone the Mets are already talking about in the near future. [Read more 🡒]
Former Mets Pitcher Protected His Team In A Frightening Hotel Incident
Kevin Lomon spent part of his baseball life in the Mets orbit as a former major league pitcher, and now he is making an impact far from a big league mound as the head coach at Cameron High School. In Shawnee, Oklahoma, that role suddenly came with a far more serious responsibility when a hotel stay turned alarming and one of his players was confronted by a man with a knife.
Lomon stepped in, confronted the man identified as Christopher Stevens and held him until police got there, helping prevent the situation from getting worse. Stevens was arrested on charges of assault with a deadly weapon and public intoxication, and none of the players were hurt, a grim reminder that sometimes the people who have spent their lives around competition are the ones who have to protect it off the field. [Read more 🡒]
Jarred Kelenic May Need A Route Mets Fans Know Well
Jarred Kelenics path has already taken plenty of turns for a player who entered pro baseball with top-prospect expectations, and the latest one leaves him at another crossroads. After being traded by the Mariners and then moving through brief stops with the Braves, White Sox and Rangers, he was recently released by Texas, a reminder that his major league footing has never quite matched the talent evaluators once projected.
For Mets fans, the relevant part of this story is the familiar comeback route that has worked for others. Jared Young found his way back to MLB after rebuilding his game in the Korean Baseball Organization, and that kind of reset may be the clearest path available now for Kelenic as he tries to rediscover the version of himself that made him such a coveted name in the first place. [Read more 🡒]