Mets Drop Double-Dip To Jays
The Mets dropped both games of a double header Monday night at Tradition Field against the visiting Dunedin Blue Jays.
The Blue Jays put game one out of reach in the first inning. Mets starter Eric Niesen retired only two batters before being pulled after allowing five earned runs. Nick Waechter relieved Niesen but did not fair any better. After allowing one of his inherited runners to score on a base hit, Waechter allowed a solo homerun in the second inning and was chased by the Jays' offensive attack in the third inning. In 1.1 innings Waechter allowed seven runs putting the Mets in a 12-0 hole. The Mets managed to push one run across the plate on a fourth inning RBI double off the bat of Richard Pena that scored Carlos Guzman. Jose De La Torre and Jimmy Johnson were able to stop the bleeding combining to toss the last five innings allowing only three base runners the rest of the way. FSL All Star, Carlos Guzman had two hits during the game.
The Mets offense just could not figure out Dunedin pitching. Game two was more of a pitcher's duel than game one. Newly promoted Jeff Kaplan was solid in his St. Lucie debut. Kaplan tossed four innings of shutout baseball allowing only three hits over that span. Kaplan got touched up in the fifth inning. A two-out two-run double broke the scoreless tie and ended Kaplan's night after five innings. Kaplan's line, five innings, two runs on five hits, four walks and three strikeouts. Reliever Emary Frederick could not hold off the Jays. In the sixth inning, a leadoff single followed by a two-run homerun by C.J. Ebarb put the game out of reach. The Mets managed one run in the sixth inning on an RBI single by Hector Pellot that scored Seth Williams, but that's all the Mets had.
The 4-1 loss dropped the Mets to 27-26 on the season. They now sit eight games behind first place Ft. Myers Miracle with 15 games remaining in the half.
The Blue Jays put game one out of reach in the first inning. Mets starter Eric Niesen retired only two batters before being pulled after allowing five earned runs. Nick Waechter relieved Niesen but did not fair any better. After allowing one of his inherited runners to score on a base hit, Waechter allowed a solo homerun in the second inning and was chased by the Jays' offensive attack in the third inning. In 1.1 innings Waechter allowed seven runs putting the Mets in a 12-0 hole. The Mets managed to push one run across the plate on a fourth inning RBI double off the bat of Richard Pena that scored Carlos Guzman. Jose De La Torre and Jimmy Johnson were able to stop the bleeding combining to toss the last five innings allowing only three base runners the rest of the way. FSL All Star, Carlos Guzman had two hits during the game.
The Mets offense just could not figure out Dunedin pitching. Game two was more of a pitcher's duel than game one. Newly promoted Jeff Kaplan was solid in his St. Lucie debut. Kaplan tossed four innings of shutout baseball allowing only three hits over that span. Kaplan got touched up in the fifth inning. A two-out two-run double broke the scoreless tie and ended Kaplan's night after five innings. Kaplan's line, five innings, two runs on five hits, four walks and three strikeouts. Reliever Emary Frederick could not hold off the Jays. In the sixth inning, a leadoff single followed by a two-run homerun by C.J. Ebarb put the game out of reach. The Mets managed one run in the sixth inning on an RBI single by Hector Pellot that scored Seth Williams, but that's all the Mets had.
The 4-1 loss dropped the Mets to 27-26 on the season. They now sit eight games behind first place Ft. Myers Miracle with 15 games remaining in the half.