3 up, 3 down: Mets split winnable series in Pittsburgh

Bullpen collapses and an inconsistent offense were the main causes of pain for the New York Mets in Pittsburgh.

After the tie in the series against the Nationals, the Mets also had to settle for a tie against the Pirates and ended the away tour with a 4:4 result.

Further implosions in a bullpen teetering on the brink of collapse and an inconsistent offense also contributed to a disappointing end to a long week.

And with that in mind, let’s dive into another edition of 3 Up, 3 Down…

3 UP

UNLIKELY HERO

Luis Torrens continues to make big contributions for the Mets. The veteran, who started Saturday, struck out 3 of 4 batters in an offensive outburst. More importantly, he delivered a crucial two-out, three-run double that helped New York to a 5-2 victory. Torrens was arguably the Mets’ new signing of the year, and his offensive potential makes him a valuable weapon in reserve.

COMEBACK KING

Edwin DiazThe absence of was clearly felt. The closer, who was serving a 10-game suspension for a sensitive situation, returned on Saturday and made an immediate impact. Díaz threw a scoreless ninth inning, earning his eighth save of the year. He also pitched the next day, blowing the save in the eighth inning before going out again and pitching a perfect ninth inning to secure the win. All in all, Díaz’s return will help a bullpen that is fighting for survival. Especially if he can consistently pitch at the highest level the rest of the time.

START EXCELLENCE

In a series where the pitching was unreliable, Sean Manaea proved to be reliable in his start on Sunday. The left-hander was outstanding on the mound, going six scoreless innings while allowing just two hits, three walks and six strikeouts. As a result, he now has a 3.43 ERA this year. And with the Mets needing attractive players to reinforce the bullpen, Manaea didn’t hurt his trade value at all with his third consecutive impressive outing.

3 DOWN

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LEARNING IN THE WORKPLACE

Manager Carlos Mendoza had a hard day on Monday. He pulled Christian Scott out of the game, who was in top form and had only thrown 77 pitches. Although Scott only allowed two earned runs in 5.2 innings, he only had one pitch count and this game plan had to be carried out. But the best plans are well thought out. Eric Orzewho was making his MLB debut, came in and immediately allowed three runs on two hits. Adrian Houser did no better and allowed three earned runs himself.

It was a nightmarish sixth inning for the Mets, and Mendoza was criticized for going into a loaded bullpen too early. Now, you can argue that Scott was pitching after four days of rest for the first time in his career. Plus, he had thrown 99 pitches in his last start. In my opinion, taking Scott out of the game wasn’t the issue. It was Mendoza’s mistake to put Orze in the game in his first MLB appearance to face the most dangerous part of Pittsburgh’s lineup. Jake Diekman was available against a number of left-handed hitters (he’s actually good against them), and Adam Ottavino pitched just once in the six days leading up to Sunday. And that’s the mistake he should be held accountable for.

But hey, Mendoza has only managed 89 games in his first job as a major league manager. Mistakes happen. Unfortunately, it cost the Mets a game they absolutely should have won.

Well-known story

Let’s stick with the bullpen. Because we kind of have to at this point. In addition to the collapse in the sixth inning on Monday, the bullpen also collapsed in the opening game of the series, with Jake Diekman And Ty Adcock combined to score seven earned runs in just one ugly implosion after Luis Severino had already suffered a loss in his start. After the split in Washington, the Mets desperately needed a series win in Pittsburgh. Instead, they had to settle for another split thanks to more bullpen drama. With the price of bullpen help likely high given the market, it’s hard to imagine things improving anytime soon for a group of relievers that are on the verge of completely falling apart.

STRIPED

An offense that was red hot in June has come back down to earth in July. The Mets scored just two runs in their two losses in Pittsburgh. They also scored just three runs in a win on Saturday. A decline was always to be expected after an exciting June. But in the current state of the bullpen, the offense needs to score a lot of runs to have any chance in a game. And too many key hitters are weak at the same time. Pete Alonso wasn’t that great. JD Martinez has cooled down. There is still little to no production from Jeff McNeil. The DJ Stewart The experiment is probably over, too. All in all, cooling the bats in Pittsburgh hasn’t helped.