We have all heard about how many ways Fernando Tatis Jr, can affect a game and the Mets got a first hand look at that as he was responsible for all 4 runs in a 4-3 Padre win as he crushed a 3 run homer in the third inning on a blast that Met outfielder Mason Williams had in his glove but hitting the wall put it over the fence.
Williams put it best when he lamented the play after the game, “I had it in my glove and hit the wall and bounced out but I should have made the play.” Tatis Jr. also created a run with his legs when he scored on a wild pitch that did not go too far hustling across the plate ahead of the tag from Taijuan Walker, In the space of 3 innings, we all saw how Tatis could impact a game in a myriad of ways.
To their credit the Mets fought back getting a 2 run homer from Brian McCann and an RBI triple from Billy McKinney which came close to an inside the park homer if not for a great backup play from Manny Machado. And in the ninth inning the Mets put the tying and potential wining runs on base but a Kevin Pillar double play ended the game giving the Padres the win.
Because the Met bullpen was overworked in the Diamondback series, Met manager Luis Rojas was forced to stay with Taijuan Walker longer than he normally would limiting his pinch hitting options which were limited to begin with since Jonathan Villar was unavailable due to hamstring tightness.
But on this night give credit to a Padre team that is talented and focused and makes the little plays that have a huge impact on the final score. And just as the Met bullpen has been great, so have the Padres and we saw that as in that ninth inning their closer Mark Melancon got into a jam and wiggled out of it throwing some great cutters and curve balls to keep the Mets off balance. Plus, Yu Darvish was outstanding using an assortment of pitches to dominate the Met lineup.
The Mets who have split their first four games on this nine game road trip, will have to face Blake Snell one of the top southpaws in the sport in a contest in which the Mets will start Joey Lucchesi who might need bullpen help as he starts against his former Padres teammates. On the positive side if the Mets can get a win, they will have Jacob deGrom and Marcus Stroman on regular rest for the final 2 games of this 4 game set.
But the Padres were impressive in this game illustrating why they own the top record in the National League. The Mets will need to wipe this loss out of their minds as they are still 3 tough games left this weekend and the Mets have some arms pitching here the next 3 days that have excelled for the most part this season. Should be a real interesting 3 games.