NEW YORK – The broadcast cameras caught a Steven Matz out of the area, in his world, staring straight ahead as he sat on the bench.
The depressing image captured the night perfectly.
This was one of those nightmare games, the kind that makes it seem like all progress is lost. In this watchless sport, the outbursts last forever and sometimes leave it difficult for fans to maintain the usual “it’s just a game” perspective preached by players and coaches on the losing side.
The Nationals punched the Mets, 16-4, at Citi Field on Monday. The margin was nearly 14-1 beaten by the Mets against Atlanta on 26 July.
During the first 17 games of the season, the Mets suffered many close defeats. Then they had those two, which quickly got out of hand.
In this, the Mets removed the starters to start the seventh inning. Infielder Luis Guillorme threw the top of the ninth. Multiple national teams have increased their stats.
The best news for these Mets: they play again on Tuesday.
New York Mets manager Luis Rojas (19) catches the ball from starting pitcher Steven Matz (32) during the top of the fifth inning against the Washington Nationals at Citi Field.
Matz knocked out Starlin Castro for third from the top of the third – except it was a wild shot and Castro finished first.
Juan Soto sent the next pass 463 feet past the Apple Home Run in the center of the pitch to give the nationals a 5-0 lead.
Matz allowed eight out of eight out of four runs on Monday? inning. His home runs continued as he served three more in this beginning.
In 18? innings pitched this season, Matz has allowed eight home runs, the most in baseball. It has a dangerous pace.
In 2016, Matz allowed 14 home runs in 132 1/3 innings.
In 2017 it admitted 12 out of 66 2/3.
In 2018 it admitted 25 out of 154.
On Monday, with two eliminations and two strikes in the second inning, former Met Asdrubal Cabrera sent a full-time pitch to the posts. One inning later, Trea Turner and Soto fired two shots from Matz – and both had no doubts.
Before the season, the Mets praised Matz’s improvement. He was hoping to have a great season and looked promising when he allowed a run over six innings in his early start of the year.
Since when did he surrender to 16 out of 12 runs? inning.
Could Monday have brought you back to July 31, 2018, when Matz lasted alone? of an inning in Washington – yes, the same opponent – because it allowed seven points earned. The Mets ultimately lost, 25-4.
Every blowout has THAT inning, the one that puts a game out of control.
At some points, the fifth inning looked like it would never end. The Nationals sent 12 batters to the pot and scored seven points. They chased after Steven Matz and labeled Paul Sewald almost as badly.
It started with doubling down on Soto’s RBI ground rule on Matz, which ended southpaw night.
Sewald inherited two runners. They scored, and after that it was much, much worse.
Howie Kendrick hit a single RBI (7-0 Nationals). Cabrera scored a two-run brace (9-0). Yan Gomes picked a teammate at home (10-0). Turner did the same (11-0). Josh Harrison hit a sacrifice fly (12-0).
Finally, thankfully, the innings ended.
The game, however, did not.
– Guillorme threw a 1-2-3 ninth, getting two groundouts and a flyout.
– Cabrera finished 4 for 4 with two home runs, two doubles and five RBI.
– Soto went 3 for 4 with three RBI.
– Turner went 3 out of 5 with three RBI.
– At one point, the Nationals had 12 points on 13 hits, while the Mets had no points on two hits.
– Under 14-2 to start the seventh, the Mets put in catcher Ali Sanchez, who made his MLB debut. He got a joke, but he made an out.
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