HOUSTON — The Mets‘ defense played exceptionally tough behind right-hander Griffin Canning on Saturday night, but the bats couldn’t back him up.
After Jose Siri tied the rubber game at 1-1 in the top of the sixth, the Houston Astros came right back in the bottom of the inning to retake the lead and chase Canning from the game. The margin for error was thin with the way both Canning and Houston right-hander Spencer Arrighetti pitched in the series finale, but even once the Mets got to the bullpen, the bats stayed quiet.
The Astros took the game and the series with a 2-1 win at Daikin Park.
A sellout crowd was looking for fireworks and they got them in the bottom of the fifth, when Jeremy Peña lined a 2-1 slider into the Crawford Boxes above the out of town scoreboard in left field. The slider had been Canning’s best pitch to that point, but he left it up just high enough for Peña to swat it down the line.
Canning then retired the next three in order.
In his Mets debut, Siri manufactured a tying run, practically doing it all on his own with his legs. It’s why the Mets wanted the speedster, despite having a glut of outfielders already. Siri drew a leadoff walk and stole second base. He was then advanced on a fly ball to center field by Francisco Lindor. That brought up Juan Soto, the only player with a hit in the game for the Mets. Soto doubled off the left field wall in the first, but with two on and two out, Mark Vientos struck out to strand the runners.
Soto hit a one-hopper right to Arrighetti, who checked Siri at third before throwing to first to get the out, but he slow-played it, taking a few lazy steps toward first before throwing out Soto. Siri was nearly home by then and the throw from first baseman Christian Walker wasn’t in time.
The game was tied, 1-1, in the top of the sixth.
Canning looked to be picking up right where he left off, getting the No. 9 hitter Chas McCormick out, but then hit trouble with the top of the order. Jose Altuve hit a one-out single and Isaac Paredes grounded into a force out, preventing Altuve from getting to second.
Scoring position or not, it didn’t matter. Yordan Alvarez hit a 2-2 slider deep to center field for a double to score Paredes in the bottom of the sixth. The Mets then went to the bullpen for right-hander Jose Butto.
Having spent the entirety of his career until 2025 with the Los Angeles Angels, Canning is no stranger to the Astros. The former Halos hurler didn’t come in with the best record against Houston, and Alvarez has hit him more often than not. Still, it wasn’t a bad start to his Mets tenure.
Canning (0-1) held the Astros (2-1) to two earned runs on four hits, walking two and striking out four over 5 2/3 innings.
Arrighetti allowed the one run to the Mets (1-2) over six innings. Soto’s hit was the only the one recorded for the visitors.
Butto struck out Walker to end the sixth, then retired the side in order in the seventh. The Astros loaded the bases in the bases on Butto in the eighth with one out, leading the Mets to bring in right-handed reliever Max Kranick.
A lifelong Mets fan from the Scranton area, Kranick hasn’t pitched in the major L\leagues since 2022, but he deftly worked out of the jam by getting Alvarez to pop up to foul territory on the left side, and Walker to hit a weak ground ball to second base.
