Mets, Phil Maton blow late lead to Brewers, setting up winner-take-all Game 3 on Thursday
Willy Adames #27, Garrett Mitchell #5, and Rhys Hoskins #12 of the Milwaukee Brewers celebrate after Mitchell hit a home run in the eighth inning against the Mets during Game 2 of the NL Wild Card Series at American Family Field on Oct. 2, 2024 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Credit: Getty Images
MILWAUKEE — Two days into October, the Mets’ season is back on the brink.
Phil Maton’s meltdown Wednesday night doomed them in a 5-3 loss to the Brewers, evening the best-of-three NL Wild Card Series at one win apiece.
That sets up a victor-take-all Game 3 at 7:08 p.m. Thursday, still at American Family Field, Mets lefthander Jose Quintana against Brewers righty Tobias Myers. The winner will advance to face the Phillies in the NL Division Series. The loser goes home for the offseason.
“We got to go all out,” Francisco Lindor said.
Pete Alonso said: “We’ve been responding to adversity all year. I’m really excited for this challenge. I know they’re equally as excited. This is exciting. This is what playoffs are all about: Two great teams going at it.”
And Sean Manaea: “If anybody can do it, this team can. We’ve done it time and time again.”
Maton’s game-souring effort came in the bottom of the eighth, with the Mets up by one — six outs from taking the series — and the righthander called on for his fourth appearance in five days. Manager Carlos Mendoza had just put in his leading-late defense: Harrison Bader in at center, Tyrone Taylor shifting to right, Starling Marte out of the game; Luisangel Acuna in at second base, Jose Iglesias shifting to third, Mark Vientos out of the game.
Milwaukee’s first batter, 20-year-old Jackson Chourio, launched the third pitch of the frame for a tying home run — his second of the night, both to the opposite field.
“Just a talented hitter,” Maton said. “I feel great [physically after a busy week]. It’s playoff baseball. Adrenaline is flowing. Everything is feeling good.”
Mendoza said: “I liked the matchup, Maton to Chourio. He just left that cutter all over the plate. Wanted to make him chase and he didn’t do that.”
With the not-quite-sold-out Milwaukee crowd suddenly rejuvenated, Maton nearly escaped, tie intact. But a two-out single from Willy Adames set up a go-ahead home run from Garrett Mitchell, who entered as a pinch runner for designated hitter Gary Sanchez and was caught stealing in the sixth.
Milwaukee closer Devin Williams set the Mets down on 10 pitches in the ninth. Jesse Winker, booed loudly a day after his jawing match with Adames and a year after he had a bad season with the Brewers, lofted a fly ball to Chourio in left for the final out.
“They played better than us the last three innings,” Lindor said.
More so than normal, the Mets wanted this one. Mendoza had a nearly full bullpen at his disposal. Manaea provided a strong start (five innings, two runs). The Mets took a lead in the first inning, then again in the second, then held it until they didn’t. Closing out a sweep would have guaranteed them two days off before the NLDS — a valuable reset after an eventful several days.
“We’ll do whatever it takes to win today,” Mendoza said before the game.
Well, almost whatever. The Mets could have brought in closer Edwin Diaz to face the top of the order in the eighth, then taken their chances with someone else — probably Maton — in the ninth. Mendoza opted not to. He said he hoped Maton would get through a perfect inning, which would have allowed Diaz to face the still-difficult Nos. 4-6 batters.
“I feel like I was ready to go,” Diaz said. “They told me be ready to pitch four outs if we need you.”
Mendoza said: “He was available, but we knew we had him for a few hitters. We just didn’t get to him . . . We were just going to keep it at one inning today because of the way we use him.”
Deserving some of the blame was an offense that stalled, finishing 2-for-11 with runners in scoring position and stranding nine men on base. The Mets did not score and had just three hits after the second inning.
Their first missed chance to tack on runs came in the first, when they had runners on the corners with one out and Pete Alonso at the plate.
He smoked a 110-mph ground ball to shortstop. As Adames made a diving stop, Alonso dropped his bat then stepped on it, slipped and fell. That allowed Milwaukee to complete a double play that may not have been had Alonso run to first unimpeded.
“That’s never happened in my career ever,” said Alonso, who is facing potentially his final game with the Mets on Thursday. “By the time I got up, the play was pretty much done. So I know it’s weird, but hey, listen, it sucks. It sucks because he had to make a play, dig the ball out of his glove. I feel like if I didn’t trip over my bat, I would’ve legged it out and a run would’ve scored. It sucks to legitimately trip there.”
Tim Healey is the Mets beat writer for Newsday. Born on Long Island and raised in Connecticut, Tim has previously worked for the South Florida Sun Sentinel, the Boston Globe and MLB.com. He is also the author of “Hometown Hardball,” a book about minor league baseball in the northeast.
