For the third-straight game, a disastrous inning early doomed the Mets.
After consecutive contests where New York fell behind in the second inning, starter Frankie Montas Jr. allowed five runs in the first inning to a Pittsburgh squad averaging the fewest runs in the National League. The Mets fell to the Pirates, 12-1, at PNC Park on Sunday, marking the third time they’ve been swept in June and dropping them to 3-13 over their last 16 games.
It was a historic weekend of failure for the Mets, and it came on the heels of a players-only meeting after Saturday’s defeat designed to spark a resurgence ahead of Sunday’s game, to no avail. The Mets were outscored 30-4 in the series — their most lopsided series defeat in franchise history — and conceded nine or more runs in three straight games for the first time since 2007, another season that featured an embarrassing collapse from glory.
Montas Jr. went winless in six minor-league starts this season, recording a 12.05 ERA and 12 strikeouts in 18.2 innings pitched. But the 32-year-old pitched five scoreless innings on 80 pitches in his season debut on Tuesday against the Atlanta Braves — a no-decision in which he didn’t give up a hit to a lefty.
Against Pittsburgh, Montas Jr. struggled to locate his offspeed pitches to support a fastball that averaged only 94.9 mph. His splitter, one of his signature weapons, often broke too soon to invoke a swing or stayed in the middle of the strike zone.
Lefty Bryan Reynolds doubled off the former Brewer in the opening frame on a cutter that stayed on the inside of the plate. Spencer Horwitz followed with a missile that third baseman Brett Baty caught, giving Montas Jr. two outs and an opportunity to notch a scoreless inning. Instead, a questionable pitching sequence led to the contest being broken open.
Montas Jr.’s five pitches to Ke’Bryan Hayes were all offspeed pitches, despite Hayes being one of the league’s worst hitters against fastballs with a .536 OPS. Hayes looped a single on a slider off the plate to bring in two runs, before a pair of home runs extended the lead.
New York came in tied for the fewest home runs conceded during day games in the majors, but gave up over two for the first time in any contest this season — ending the league’s longest streak.
Oneil Cruz, who leads the majors in average exit velocity, crushed a shot to right field on a cutter in the middle of the plate. Tommy Pham, who entered hitting .336 against the Mets, added another blast for his second round-tripper of the season.
Montas Jr. finished with six runs allowed on 86 pitches during four innings, giving little length to a New York bullpen that used five relievers on Saturday.
Richard Lovelady, brought back to the team ahead of Sunday’s clash after being designated for assignment earlier in the week, worked along with Dedniel Núñez and outfielder Travis Jankowski to pitch the last four innings.
Meanwhile, the Mets, who came in ranked fifth-best in slugging percentage following a loss, failed to create any comeback threat. New York mustered only seven hits, though catcher Luis Torrens drilled his second home run of the season to knock starter Mike Burrows out of the game.
Opponents entered hitting nearly 200 points higher against Burrows’ fastball compared to his off-speed pitches. But the 25-year-old threw his heater nearly half of the time against the Mets, racking up five strikeouts over four-and-a-third innings.
New York faces a challenge against Milwaukee on Tuesday as it looks to break out of its worst stretch under second-year manager Carlos Mendoza. The Brewers boast the highest win-percentage in the majors since May 18 and are averaging 8.3 runs per game over their last nine games.
