The New York Mets were held scoreless in a 4-0 loss to the Boston Red Sox on Saturday afternoon at Citi Field as their offense never found an answer against Boston’s pitching staff. The defeat dropped New York to 40-56 and guaranteed nothing better than a series split heading into Sunday’s finale.
Making his first major league start, rookie left-hander Eduardo Rivera baffled the Mets over 3.2 scoreless innings, allowing just one hit before four Boston relievers combined to finish the shutout. New York managed only three hits all afternoon and went 0-for-8 with runners in scoring position despite drawing seven walks. The Mets loaded the bases in the seventh but came away empty when A.J. Ewing struck out looking, then stranded two more runners in the eighth after consecutive walks by Juan Soto and Francisco Lindor.
Freddy Peralta kept New York within striking distance despite another abbreviated outing. The right-hander lasted 4.1 innings, allowing two runs while battling five walks and striking out five. His biggest mistake came in the fourth when Andruw Monasterio connected for a two-run homer. After Peralta exited, A.J. Minter and Brooks Raley combined to keep Boston in check before Tobias Myers surrendered a two-run homer to Masataka Yoshida in the eighth that put the game out of reach.
Francisco Alvarez accounted for two of the Mets’ three hits, while Brett Baty’s 10-game hitting streak came to an end with an 0-for-3 afternoon.
The Mets conclude their three-game series against the Red Sox on Sunday, with first pitch scheduled for 1:40 p.m. New York has not announced a starter, though rookie left-hander Zach Thornton (0-1, 4.35 ERA) is expected to get the nod, while Boston is slated to start left-hander Payton Tolle (5-6, 3.14 ERA).
Kyle leads sports coverage and hosts the Concrete Jungle podcast. Have a lead or question? Send it to kyle@fingerlakes1.com.