Mets lose to Cardinals after Nolan Arenado's late home run
The Mets gifted a Father’s Day sellout crowd at Citi Field with an impressive comeback and chance to win a series for the first time since June 1.
But a respite from losing does not come easily for these scuffling Mets.
The offensive production from the early and middle innings stopped, and the team’s hard work was negated after Adam Ottavino’s sinker exploded off Nolan Arenado’s bat for a go-ahead homer in the ninth inning that sunk the Mets in an 8-7 loss to the NL Central basement-dwelling Cardinals.
“The days we score a lot of runs, most of those days right now we are giving up a lot of runs,” Tommy Pham said after the Mets’ 11th loss in 14 games, which buried them a season’s worst five below .500 for the second time this season. “It’s just a bad combination. It’s too hard to pinpoint one thing.
“We have a lot of guys over here who are great players and unfortunately we are looking at the middle of June and still haven’t put it together.”
Nolan Arenado celebrates his go-ahead home run in the top of the ninth inning for the Cardinals on Sunday. JASON SZENES FOR THE NEW YORK POST
The Mets rallied from a 5-1 deficit early to tie it 7-7 in the fifth on Pham’s two-run homer, but never got the hit they needed to propel them on a day Pete Alonso returned from the injured list — ahead of the earliest initial projections by at least 1 ¹/₂ weeks.
Alonso went 0-for-4 after rehabbing for 10 days from a bone bruise and sprain in his left wrist.
David Robertson pitched a scoreless eighth before Ottavino entered and got a fast out in the ninth. Arenado, who had already homered in the first inning, cleared the left-field fence for the Cardinals’ fourth blast of the day.
The homer was the 100th allowed by the Mets this season, the fourth-highest total in the major leagues.
“Sometimes you get beat by a great player and it really stinks in the moment,” said Ottavino, who has surrendered five homers in 29 ¹/₃ innings this season. “But I will come back with confidence the next time.”
Mets pitcher Adam Ottavino reacts after giving up a ninth-inning home run to Nolan Arenado. Getty Images
The dads hoping for cake on their day were instead served a stale Cookie, as Carlos Carrasco got knocked out after three innings in which he surrendered six runs, five earned, on five hits and three walks with four strikeouts.
The veteran right-hander has struggled to give the Mets length, averaging just over four innings in his past three starts.
“He’s capable of better and today wasn’t that day,” manager Buck Showalter said. “I know it bothers him because we need to get deeper in these games with a short bullpen.”
Arenado quickly put the Mets in a 2-0 deficit by slamming a two-run homer in the first inning.
The Mets’ Carlos Carrasco struggled against the Cardinals on Sunday. JASON SZENES FOR THE NEW YORK POST
Brendan Donovan doubled leading off the game for the Cardinals and Arenado hit a curveball from Carrasco into the left-field seats.
The Mets got a run in the bottom of the inning on Francisco Lindor’s two-out solo homer.
The blast was Lindor’s 13th this season, moving him alone into second place on the team in homers, behind Alonso’s 22.
Eduardo Escobar’s throwing error helped the Cardinals enjoy a three-run second inning.
Tommy Pham celebrates his game-tying, two-run homer against the Cardinals on Sunday. Robert Sabo for NY Post
After Andrew Knizner reached on the high throw, which forced Alonso to leap from first base, Tommy Edman walked and Donovan stroked an RBI single.
Paul Goldschmidt’s ensuing two-run double extended the Cardinals’ lead to 5-1.
But the Mets rallied against left-hander Matthew Liberatore in the bottom of the inning.
Escobar stroked an RBI triple after Jeff McNeil was hit by a pitch and Mark Canha walked before Brando Nimmo delivered a two-run double that pulled the Mets within 5-4.
Nimmo was thrown out attempting to stretch the hit into a triple.
Francisco Lindor reacts after hitting a solo home run for the Mets against the Cardinals on Sunday. Robert Sabo for NY Post
Paul DeJong blasted a two-out homer against Carrasco in the third that gave the Cardinals a 6-4 lead.
The Mets countered with Canha’s RBI single in the bottom of the inning, after McNeil was plunked by a pitch for the second time in the game and Escobar walked.
Jordan Walker’s homer in the fifth against John Curtiss put the Mets in a 7-5 hole.
But the Mets got even in the bottom of the inning on Pham’s two-run homer, after Lindor walked and stole second.
Pham’s homer was his seventh of the season and continued his sizzling play lately — he entered with a 1.110 OPS over his previous 14 games.
“Every team goes through a winning stretch — that is just baseball,” Pham said. “We haven’t had ours yet, and that is a good thing.”
Source: New York Post
