Luis Severino, poor defense doom Mets in loss to Atlanta in opening game of pivotal series
Mets pitcher Luis Severino, left, and catcher Francisco Alvarez, right, scramble for a ball in the infield in the third inning of a game against the Atlanta on Tuesday in Atlanta. Credit: AP/Jason Allen
ATLANTA — All summer and into autumn, the Mets rose to the occasion each time circumstances demanded it, reviving their season and thriving in a long, tense postseason push. They’ve had big hits from unlikely heroes, bona fide excellence from a rag-tag rotation, a cool head and steady hand from a rookie manager and, it seems, just a few blessings from the baseball gods.
On the precipice of the playoffs, though, the Mets will need to rise once more to actually reach October. Their 5-1 loss to Atlanta on Tuesday night contained little drama but added plenty to the rest of this week.
In the series opener and a huge swing game, Luis Severino pitched poorly (four innings, four runs), the hitters barely hit at all (four hits) and the defense made several misplays (including one error).
Atlanta, conversely, appeared to snap back to regular form after weeks of mediocrity. Rookie righthander Spencer Schwellenbach tossed seven efficient innings, holding the Mets to a lone run, via Mark Vientos’ homer in the seventh. Michael Harris II finished 3-for-4 — a triple shy of the cycle — and made a sliding catch in centerfield.
And so the Mets’ lead over Atlanta in the National League wild-card standings was cut in half to one game, with two contests left in the series (and five in the season). With significant rain expected Wednesday and Thursday, it was not clear when those games would be played.
Had the Mets taken this first game, they would have been up three games with five to play, an advantage that would have been difficult to blow.
Instead, the Mets get to sweat it out. Lefthander Chris Sale, the favorite for the NL Cy Young Award, is Atlanta’s next starter.
The game turned in the third, when Severino gave up three runs and threw 33 pitches. The inning opened with an awkward play: Orlando Arcia rolled a weak ground ball up the third-base line, Severino and catcher Francisco Alvarez converged, Severino picked it up, Alvarez ran into him and Severino threw the ball down the rightfield line. Albies ended up on second.
Then Harris doubled for an obvious run and Ozzie Albies singled for a less obvious one. On the latter play, rightfielder Starling Marte overthrew the cutoff man, allowing Albies to advance to second. Instead of getting erased on a would-be double-play grounder by the next batter, Albies scored on Ramon Laureano’s two-out single.
The Mets have lost consecutive games just once over the past six weeks.
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.
