Mets' ninth-inning rally fizzles out in loss to Reds
The Mets' Pete Alonso returns to the dugout after the Reds' 3-2 win in an MLB game at Citi Field on Saturday. Credit: Kathleen Malone-Van Dyke
One team was playing for something Saturday night, and it showed.
The Reds – who came into the day tied with three other teams for the third Wild Card spot – deployed a series of relievers to stymie the listless Mets, 3-2 at Citi Field. The Mets managed six hits against rookie starter Andrew Abbott but got just two more against four Reds relievers after Abbot was lifted with two outs in the fourth. They had one batter reach scoring position for the final 5 1/3 innings and stranded 10 runners on base.
Christian Encarnacion-Strand’s two-run homer off Tylor Megill in the fourth gave the Reds a 3-1 lead. The Mets had runners on first and second with two outs against Derek Law in the ninth, but Pete Alonso hit into a force out at second to end it.
The one bright spot: Two of the Mets rookies – Ronny Mauricio and Francisco Alvarez – were responsible for driving in both their runs.
“This is big for them,” Buck Showalter said of his rookies. “Our guys are trying to continue to build trust…It’s really what you’re trying to do – establish trust that people know what you’re going to bring.
Mauricio’s two-out RBI single scored Alonso with the game’s opening run in the first, but the Reds tied it up in the second, behind a costly error. TJ Friedl led off with a single and then, with two outs, Encarnacion-Strand singled to land Friedl at third. Encarnacion-Strand, though, took off for second and Alvarez tried to instead threw to third to try and get Friedl, who had wandered off the base. The throw, though, sailed by Mauricio to tie the game.
The Reds scored two more in the fourth, on Encarnacion-Strand’s homer – a 428-foot blast to center off Megill’s belt-high fastball. The Mets, though, did manage to get one back in the bottom of the inning: Tim Locastro doubled and, with two outs, Alvarez doubled him home. Alonso, though, struck out swinging to strand the runner in scoring position.
After his best start of the year against the Twins, Megill was serviceable, allowing three runs (two earned), nine hits and two walks in 5 2/3 innings. He struck out only two.
“My stuff wasn’t terrible today,” Megill said. “I’m just proud that I didn’t have the best stuff today but was able to maneuver and make quality pitches.”
Laura Albanese is a reporter, feature writer and columnist covering local professional sports teams; she began at Newsday in 2007 as an intern.
