Game 7 of 162
Brewers 7 - Mets 6 (American Family Field, Milwaukee)
Mets record: 3-4
Mets streak: Lost 3
WP - Devin Williams (1-0)
LP - Adam Ottavino (0-1)
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.
Garrett Mitchell entered the game late as a pinch hitter but it was his second at-bat after he moved to center field that was the game changer. Mitchell drilled a 3-2 offering from Adam Ottavino over the wall in right for the walk off dagger. Mitchell also hit two home runs Tuesday against the Mets and finished 4-for-10 in the series.
Need to Know
*Mitchell hit a walk off home run in the bottom of the 9th inning against Ottavino on Wednesday and the Brewers completed a 3-game sweep of the Mets.
*New York was outscored 26-6 in the series and finished its first road trip 3-4. The Mets will play their home opener Thursday when they host the Marlins.
*After being shut out in consecutive games, the Mets took a 1-0 lead in the 1st inning when Francisco Lindor doubled home Starling Marte.
*David Peterson allowed four runs in the 2nd inning, including a three-run home run by Joey Wiemer. But the Mets rallied with three runs in the 3rd inning, including the first of two Pete Alonso home runs on the day.
*Alonso hit a massive two-run home run in the 5th inning to give New York a 6-4 lead, but Drew Smith surrendered a two-out, two-run double to Jesse Winker in the bottom of the 5th.
*Lindor was 3-for-4 with two doubles, 2 RBI and two runs scored.
*Marte was 1-for-3 and scored two runs, but was robbed twice of hits on diving plays by the Brewers defense.
*Daniel Vogelbach walked three times in four plate appearances.
*Milwaukee relievers pitched 4.2 innings without allowing a hit or run.
*John Curtiss tossed two scoreless innings (the 6th and 7th) on his 30th birthday. His last out was recorded when a Brian Anderson line drive hit base runner William Contreras in the foot between first and second.
*Omar Narvaez left the game with a sore calf. He's day to day with the injury.
*Justin Verlander had a follow up MRI that revealed inflammation was down in his right shoulder. He'll continue to throw and remains on the IL.
*The Mets received good news on the injury front when imaging revealed no structural damage on Brett Baty's right thumb. The top prospect is day to day with inflammation of the thumb after being hurt on a swing Tuesday playing for Syracuse.
Turning Point
The obvious turning point is the walk off home run by Mitchell. But Winker's clutch two-run double to right-center off Smith that tied the game 6-6 in the 5th inning was also a huge moment. Winker tortures the Mets no matter what team he's playing for, and this was just another big hit against them. It was brutal for the Mets because they had just regained the lead in the top half of the inning, but the Brewers came right back to assert their dominance in the series. The Mets went quietly at the plate the rest of the way before Mitchell put an exclamation mark on the sweep.
3 Keys
Pete Alonso's bat wakes up
After a miserable first week of the season, Alonso hit a pair of two-run home runs. Each was important, despite the final score. Alonso's first home run tied the game 4-4 in the third inning after Peterson allowed a four spot in the previous frame. His second bomb gave New York a 6-4 lead in the 5th inning, when he crushed a slider that caught just a bit too much of the plate. Alonso was in a 0-for-11 funk and 3-for-23 this season before the consecutive home runs. He now has three homers on the season.
David Peterson does not give Mets what they need
The Mets bullpen is being taxed just seven games and one week into the season. So, they needed length from Peterson on Wednesday. And the left-hander did not deliver. He was pulled from his start after a leadoff walk in the 5th inning. He had already thrown a whopping 92 pitches, only 49 for strikes. Consistently pitching behind in the count, Peterson allowed five runs, five hits and five walks in four innings. He also struck out five. The Mets needed better. They didn't get it.
Eduardo Escobar sits again
Escobar is 2-for-20 to start the season and the third baseman was benched for the second time in the series. Luis Guillorme started at third and was 0-for-4 at the plate, but did make a terrific diving catch in the 1st inning. With the offense struggling and Baty nursing a thumb injury at Triple-A, the Mets need Escobar to find his stroke soon.
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