The Mets couldn’t hold an early lead and went cold at the plate after the second inning, falling 3-2 to the Guardians on Tuesday night at Citi Field. The loss was New York’s seventh in its last eight games, dropping its record to 63-51.
New York struck first without a hit in the opening frame. Francisco Lindor walked, advanced on a balk and wild pitch, and scored on Pete Alonso’s sacrifice fly for his team-leading 91st RBI. In the second, Mark Vientos doubled, Jeff McNeil bunted him to third, and Tyrone Taylor ended an 0-for-19 slump with an RBI single. The Mets then loaded the bases, but Lindor’s double play ended the inning.
From there, the bats were silent. New York went 1-for-5 with runners in scoring position and was set down in order from the sixth inning on. Mets starter Clay Holmes was sharp early, striking out five in three perfect innings, but the Guardians scored two against him in the fourth to tie the game.
Cleveland grabbed the lead in the seventh on Steven Kwan’s run-scoring single off Tyler Rogers. The Mets’ bullpen otherwise kept things close, but the offense never recovered.
Alonso, who went 1-for-3, remains one home run shy of tying Darryl Strawberry’s franchise record as Strawberry watched from the stands.
David Peterson takes the mound for Wednesday’s series finale against right-hander Gavin Williams, with the first pitch scheduled for 1:10 p.m.
Kyle leads sports coverage and hosts the Concrete Jungle podcast. Have a lead or question? Send it to [email protected].