CLEVELAND – On a line drive to right field off Jose Ramirez’s bat, New York Mets outfielder Starling Marte mistakenly took a couple of steps in. By the time he realized he had misjudged the ball, it was too late; he wasn’t going to make the catch and the misplay led to a run. After he picked up the ball, he made things worse by bobbling it on the exchange from his glove, allowing Ramirez to move to third base.
“After he misplayed it, he let the frustrations obviously get to him,” Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said. “And that’s something that I talked to him about.”
A day after the Mets played badly in the field and on the bases, Marte’s misplay Tuesday looked all too familiar. The Mets’ 7-6 loss to the Cleveland Guardians dropped them a season-worst six games below .500.
In fairness to Marte, he later backed up a play well and hit a home run. But that’s the thing. The latest loss especially stung because the Mets’ inconsistent offense tallied 11 hits and tied a season-best three home runs, with contributions from Francisco Lindor and Jeff McNeil, two key players who have struggled.
Adrian Houser’s ERA increased to 7.88. He was charged with 6 ER in 5+ innings. Ramirez’s two-run HR on a 3-2 fastball was the big one. A HBP on a 1-2 count to the No. 8 batter got things going for the Guardians in a three-run third inning.
— Will Sammon (@WillSammon) May 21, 2024
The game provided another example of why the Mets can’t expect things to change sustainably until they start doing the little things more consistently. Former Mets pitcher Max Scherzer put it well last season when he said around the same time of year, “It’s all the little things. You start flipping those around, and it’s amazing how the big stuff starts happening.”
In its immediacy, this game called attention to a handful of roster decisions and consequential plot points worth detailing within the Mets’ story of underachievement.
• Adrian Houser’s ERA climbed to 7.88. He was charged with six earned runs in five-plus innings. It’s unclear what his role with the Mets will be going forward.
They have options. José Buttó tossed six scoreless innings for Triple-A Syracuse on Tuesday night. David Peterson (hip) appears to be closing in on finishing his rehab and is eligible to be activated on May 27. On Monday, Tylor Megill returned from the injured list and pitched mostly well, allowing two earned runs, four hits and two walks in five innings with seven strikeouts.
The rest of the rotation includes Jose Quintana, Luis Severino, Sean Manaea and Christian Scott. Injured starter Kodai Senga played light catch after dealing with triceps tightness and is scheduled to throw a bullpen session on Friday, Mendoza said.
Houser walked just one, but plunked catcher Bo Naylor, the Guardians’ No. 8 batter, with a 1-2 offering to jump-start a three-run third inning. He later gave up a two-run home run on a 3-2 pitch to Ramirez in the fifth inning.
“We gotta see, see what we got next,” Mendoza said regarding Houser’s role with the club.
• Before heading down the tunnel to the Mets clubhouse after his appearance, lefty reliever Jake Diekman picked up a cooler and tossed it near the steps inside the dugout in his latest sign of frustration. Diekman allowed a two-run home run in the sixth inning, which made the Mets’ deficit 7-4 at the time. It was Diekman’s second straight appearance in which he allowed a home run.
Diekman always lingered as an important part of the Mets’ bullpen, but he matters a lot more now that the team will be without lefty Brooks Raley. Mendoza said that Raley, a free agent at the end of the season, will have surgery next week. Mendoza wouldn’t say what kind of surgery Raley would have, but Raley’s season is most likely over. He hasn’t pitched since April 19; the news was not surprising.
In addition to Diekman, the Mets have Jordan Walker as a lefty on the roster as well as lefties Danny Young and Tyler Jay at Triple A. Clearly though, the Mets will need to lean on Diekman in high-leverage situations. The home run allowed on Tuesday barely got over the wall in right field, and Mendoza said he believes Diekman is “in a good spot.”
“The execution is there, the life is there,” Mendoza said.
• With the Mets trailing by three runs in the eighth inning, Edwin Díaz began warming up. When Marte’s home run cut their deficit to one run in the same inning, Sean Reid-Foley got up again in the bullpen. Díaz sat down.
The scene was a clear indicator of where things stand with Díaz. After three straight poor outings, Díaz is no longer operating as the Mets’ closer. They will try to ease him back into things, starting with lower-leverage situations.
But does it only further mess with Díaz’s confidence to start warming up and then sit once things matter more?
“Not really, because this is something that we have been talking about,” Mendoza said. “He’s all up for it. Anytime we need him to pitch, he’s going to take the ball. I just thought today wasn’t the right time.”
• After Monday night’s game, Mendoza informed Mark Vientos that the right-handed batting third baseman would be getting a rare start against a right-handed pitcher. Vientos rewarded the decision with a strong night. He went 2-for-4 with a home run and a double. Brett Baty, who didn’t play Tuesday, has struggled offensively for the past month. Without someone capable of playing the middle-infield positions off the bench, the Mets may soon be forced to make a decision regarding their platoon at third base featuring the two 24-year-olds.
(Photo of J.D. Martinez: David Richard / USA Today)
