Mets’ bats go cold, pitching unravels late in series-opening loss to Mariners
SEATTLE — The Mets left behind the altitude and brutal Colorado pitching staff for an unfriendly hitters’ ballpark and opponent with quality arms.
Predictably, the Mets didn’t score nine runs, as they had the previous day. But getting shut out shouldn’t have been the reality either.
In a no-show performance, the Mets had zilch going offensively and watched Jose Quintana and Adam Ottavino unravel late in a 6-0 loss to the Mariners at T-Mobile Park.
The Mets (61-55) missed an opportunity to increase their lead over the Braves for the National League’s third wild-card spot by losing for the fifth time in nine games.
They are 4-4 on a road trip that has reached its fourth and final city.
“It’s hard to win games when you don’t score,” Francisco Lindor said.
After hitting two home runs in Thursday’s 9-1 victory in Colorado, Pete Alonso had an 0-for-4 night at the plate. Included was taking a called third strike in the eighth inning with two runners on base.
Alonso voiced displeasure with plate umpire Manny Gonzalez’s call and didn’t retreat until manager Carlos Mendoza interceded.
“I thought it was a ball,” Mendoza said.
Overall, the Mets were 0-for-8 with runners in scoring position on a night they actually outhit the Mariners, 7-6, but couldn’t capitalize.
Quintana came within one strike of finishing a solid performance.
But with two outs in the seventh, No. 9 hitter Leo Rivas slapped a two-run single to right field, burying the Mets in a 4-0 hole.
Entering the inning, he had retired 14 straight batters.
Quintana had walked Mitch Garver leading off the inning and Dylan Moore singled on a weak grounder to second base before the lefty retired the next two batters.
Quintana got to 2-2 in the count and then missed with a fastball. Rivas hit a roller through the second-base hole on the ensuing pitch to bring in both runs.
“The issue was the leadoff walk,” Quintana said. “That is the part of the game I control … after that, I gave up a ground ball that was too soft, and we couldn’t get the out.”
Ottavino created further disappointment by walking Victor Robles and Randy Arozarena to load the bases before Cal Raleigh’s two-run single extended the Mariners’ lead to 6-0.
Quintana threw 100 pitches over 6 ²/₃ innings and surrendered five earned runs on four hits with two walks and eight strikeouts.
The loss was the second on the trip for the veteran, who got beat 3-2 in Anaheim last Sunday when the Mets lost a rubber game to the Angels.
On this night, Ryan Bliss cleared the left-field fence in the second inning for a two-run homer that produced the game’s first scoring.
Mitch Haniger singled in the inning before Bliss jumped on a first-pitch curveball to deliver his second homer of the season.
Quintana put two runners on base in the first — he walked Arozarena and plunked Turner — but escaped trouble by striking out Garver.
The Mets received a two-out double from Mark Vientos in the second and one from Brandon Nimmo in the third, but both Mets were left stranded.
Francisco Alvarez struck out to end the second and Bryce Miller retired Jesse Winker to conclude the third.
Miller was removed after six scoreless innings in which he allowed three hits and one walk with six strikeouts.
The right-hander retired the final seven batters he faced following Jeff McNeil’s single in the fourth.
Collin Snider entered for the seventh and the Mets finally had the semblance of a rally, when McNeil singled after J.D. Martinez’s leadoff walk.
But Vientos followed with a grounder that became a 6-4-3 double play and Alvarez was retired to leave Martinez stranded at third base.
