It was more of the same from the Mets‘ pitching staff Wednesday afternoon in Detroit. Clay Holmes couldn’t make it through five innings, Ryan Helsley imploded in the seventh inning, and a one-run lead by the Detroit Tigers ballooned into a four-run lead.
The Tigers prevented the Mets from completing a three-game sweep, handing the Amazins’ a 6-2 lead at Comerica Park.
Down 3-2 in the bottom of the seventh, Helsley replaced left-hander Gregory Soto. A line drive by Colt Keith and a walk to Gleyber Torres preceded a home run by Kerry Carpenter. Three runs before even getting an out. It’s tough to justify using Helsley in a one-run game at the moment, but the Mets have said they don’t see many low-leverage places where the former Cardinals closer could be used during the final month of the regular season.
The Mets still hold the third spot in the National League Wild Card race, with a 4.5-game lead over the Cincinnati Reds, their weekend opponent. A third win in Detroit would have tied them with the San Diego Padres for the second spot in the Wild Card standings, but San Diego currently owns the tiebreaker.
Helsley threw 2/3 of an inning, struggling with his slider once again. There is still speculation that he’s tipping his pitches, but his demeanor on the mound looks different after giving up 14 earned runs in only 11 innings since being traded from St. Louis (11.45 ERA).
The offense cooled considerably after the Mets put up 22 runs through the first two games. The Mets had chances, but the Tigers (81-60) stymied them. There was a good catch in center field by Javier Baez with two on in the top of the sixth, and some ground-balls with two outs. Pete Alonso went 3-for-4 with an RBI double off right-hander Casey Mize in the third inning, and Francisco Lindor went 1-for-3 with a double and two walks. The top six hitters all recorded hits, but Mize and the Detroit bullpen prevented any offensive momentum by keeping the bottom of the order off the bases.
Mize (13-5) limited the Mets to only one earned run on five hits, and struck out three in five innings.
Mark Vientos cut the lead to just one run in the sixth with a single off veteran right-hander Tommy Kahnle. The Tigers went to their bullpen after Cade Horton put Juan Soto and Alonso on base before getting the first out. Brandon Nimmo lined a ball to center field over the head of Baez, but the infielder-turned-outfielder tracked it down and caught it on the run for the out. Juan Soto, who extended his on-base streak to 13 games, went to third on the out, putting runners on the corners for Vientos.
The Mets may not have been in that position had Holmes gone deeper into the game. Still, it was a decent outing by the right-hander, who allowed three runs (two earned) on five hits. He struck out six, but walked three, getting into bad counts in the fourth and fifth innings. With the game tied at 1-1 in the bottom of the fifth, Gregory Soto allowed the two inherited runners to score.
There is obvious frustration with Helsley and the starting rotation as a whole. The Mets are considering demoting Kodai Senga to Triple-A, but it would require the right-hander’s consent. Tylor Megill is working his way back, but the big right-hander isn’t often able to go deep either. The Mets’ playoff hopes hinge on pitching.
