The Mets managed Friday like a playoff game. It did not work

NEW YORK — Carlos Mendoza managed Friday night’s fourth inning like a playoff game. And it backfired on him and the Mets.

Philadelphia’s 12-2 romp over New York pivoted during that six-run outburst. The Phillies had scored twice in the fourth to take a 4-2 lead, and they had a runner on third base with two outs after David Peterson popped up Kyle Schwarber. That’s when Mendoza came out of the dugout to remove Peterson and insert Adam Ottavino to face Trea Turner.

“Surprised,” Peterson said about the move. “That’s his decision. All good, and we’re on to the next one.”

The decision to remove Peterson felt quick in the moment but was justified by the quality of contact against him. Following a 1-2-3 first inning, the Phillies had gone 8-for-15 off Peterson with most of those balls hit especially hard. Six balls in play in that stretch were hit at 99 mph or harder off Peterson, and all three Philadelphia hits in the fourth were hit at 106 mph or harder.

“They were putting together some really good at-bats,” Mendoza said. “They were putting the barrel on the ball.”

PHI 12
NYM 2
Final

For the Mets, at least Atlanta lost, too.

The Mets are 85-69.

— Tim Britton (@TimBritton) September 21, 2024

Peterson was charged with five runs on those eight hits in 3 2/3 innings. It was his second straight start against Philadelphia — something else that might happen in the postseason.

“It’s not easy, but that’s part of being a big leaguer,” Mendoza said. “Sometimes you’ve got to face good teams back-to-back. They’ll make an adjustment, and we’ve got to make an adjustment.”

The decision to replace Peterson with Ottavino certainly felt structured like a postseason audition. It’s no secret that Ottavino has barely pitched in big spots since his nightmarish May. Even with a 3.30 ERA since the start of June, the veteran right-hander has just two holds since the All-Star break.

But if you were trying to sketch out a possible role for Ottavino, it looks like Friday’s scenario: a big spot, early in the game, with a good right-handed hitter at the plate. Lefties have punished Ottavino all year, but only Edwin Díaz has been better out of New York’s bullpen against righties this season.

The plan did not work. Ottavino surrendered an RBI single to Turner on an 0-2 fastball on the outside corner. After Turner stole second and Ottavino fell behind the lefty-swinging Bryce Harper, he issued an intentional walk. After a double steal, he served up a three-run homer to Alec Bohm on a sweeper that hung in the middle of the plate.

“I felt I needed to be aggressive there,” Mendoza said, “and it didn’t work.”

The competitive portion of the evening was more or less over: A 4-2 game had become an 8-2 game. It would only snowball from there.

As we wrote last weekend, these games against the Phillies have at times exposed meaningful gaps in roster talent. In a critical spot in the fourth, the Mets were bringing in Ottavino. In a similar spot in the fifth, Philadelphia had Orion Kerkering (1.96 ERA and nearly 30 percent strikeout rate) warming. With a six-run lead, the Phillies had the luxury of letting Cristopher Sánchez finish out the inning, which he did by catching Pete Alonso looking for a strikeout.

As well as the Mets have played of late, there are still lingering areas of concern. In the bullpen, Danny Young’s difficult September continued. After yielding J.T. Realmuto’s two-run homer in the eighth, Young has allowed nine earned runs in his past 2 1/3 innings. He had given up 10 earned runs in his first 33 1/3 innings this season.

In the lineup, J.D. Martinez went 0-for-3 to push his hitless streak to 31 at-bats. It’s the longest hitless stretch of Martinez’s career and tied for the fourth-longest hitless streak in the majors this season.

“It’s been hard for him, but he’s grinding,” Mendoza said. “He’s a tick off right now. He’s got to keep going. … We’re going to need him.”

Still, Mendoza said it might be time to give Martinez a break. He’s been out of the lineup twice for single games during this stretch, and the Mets have seen more offensive production of late from both Tyrone Taylor and Starling Marte. After a pinch hit Friday, Taylor is 9-for-23 with five extra-base hits over the past two weeks. Mendoza said he’d be in the lineup Saturday.

And of course, the greatest area of concern remains Francisco Lindor’s availability. After several days of minimal progress, Lindor received a facet injection into his back on Thursday. He said he felt better on Friday but couldn’t quantify the magnitude of that improvement. He took some cautious swings from the right side during on-field batting practice for the first time Friday.

“I’m trying to do whatever it takes to come back as soon as I can,” Lindor said. “(I’m) not worried, but antsy. I want to be there.”

(Photo David Peterson: Dustin Satloff / Getty Images)