Guardians 6, Mets 3 (Progressive Field)
Mets Record: 21-28
Mets Streak: L3
WP: Hunter Gaddis (3-1)
LP: Reed Garrett (5-1)
SV: Cade Smith (1)
Seat On The Korner
We select the star of the game and virtually invite him to a Seat on the Korner, just as Ralph Kiner used to do for his studio postgame show on WOR-channel 9 broadcasts in the early decades of the Mets.
After starting 0-for-21 in his first five games against the team that brought him to the majors, Andres Gimenez burned the Mets with a game-tying three-run home run against Jose Quintana in the sixth inning. Gimenez scored two runs on the day to help swing the tide in this game.
Need To Know
The Mets were swept by the Guardians, marking the third time they have been swept in a series of at least three games this season.
This series was the first time the Mets have been swept by Cleveland.
The Mets finished their eight-game road trip with a record of 2-6.
Pete Alonso's first-inning home run was his first on the first pitch he saw in an at-bat since May 25, 2023. He has hit 38 homers since then.
That home run allowed Alonso to pass both Jose Reyes and Cleon Jones for eighth place all-time in the Mets' record books in the RBI department.
Jeff McNeil homered for the second straight game, marking the first time he has done that since the 2020 season.
Harrison Bader, who was hit by Guardians' starter Triston McKenzie earlier in the game, got some revenge by homering in the fourth. This was Bader's first road homer since May 21, 2023, when he was a member of the New York Yankees.
Johnathan Rodriguez drove in the go-ahead run for Cleveland in the seventh inning against Reed Garrett. The one-out single was Rodriguez's first major league hit.
Jose Ramirez continued to torment the Mets by driving in a critical insurance run in the bottom of the eighth inning. Ramirez went 4-for-12 with two doubles, three runs scored, a home run and four RBIs in the series.
Cade Smith worked a scoreless ninth for the Guardians to pick up his first major league save.
Turning Point
The afternoon felt like it was going to be one that resulted in a Mets win thanks to the three early homers and a strong effort from Quintana. Everything flipped in the sixth on Gimenez's three-run homer as the Guardians seized the momentum and never looked back, scoring the game's last six runs to seal the sweep.
Three Keys
Mark Vientos creates some separation at third
The Mets started Mark Vientos for the second consecutive day against a right-handed pitcher and he had a solid afternoon, going 1-for-3 with a double and a walk. Brett Baty has been excellent defensively this season but his prolonged slump could lead the Mets to consider sending him down to AAA to work on his approach at the plate soon. The team has been operating without a backup middle infielder for a week, leaving them no choice but to let McNeil and Francisco Lindor play every inning of every game.
Cleveland May Get Lindor Cooking
While the team results weren't good for Lindor in his first trip back to Cleveland since being traded, he did show some signs of life at the plate. Lindor followed a two-hit night with two extra-base hits to end his day and push his batting average above .200 to .203. The doubles marked Lindor's first extra-base hits in 47 at bats and could be a sign the traditionally slow starter is beginning to heat up.
Frustration Is Building In The Mets' Dugout
For the second straight day, we saw a Mets' reliever take out his anger on a random object in the dugout when Adam Ottavino smashed an iPad after struggling in the eighth inning. The Mets are in a deep funk, having gone just 6-14 this month and 9-21 since April 21st, the day after Francisco Alvarez landed on the injured list with a torn ligament in his thumb. Pressure is clearly starting to build on a team that hoped to contend for the playoffs and it is fair to wonder if they are starting to dig themselves too deep of a hole to climb out of before David Stearns has to make decisions at the trade deadline.
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