MILWAUKEE -- The frustrating stretch for the Mets continued Saturday night, as some crucial miscues sunk them in their 7-4 loss to the Brewers at American Family Field.
It was New York’s 10th loss in 11 games and its sixth straight, dropping them 4 1/2 games behind the Phillies in the National League East. The Mets believe they’re a better team than they’ve shown recently, but mistakes on the field cost them another chance to win Saturday.
One mistake, in particular, brought out a display of emotion from one of the team’s leaders.
New York took the lead on Pete Alonso’s franchise-record-tying 252nd career home run in the top of the second, but in the bottom of the frame, Milwaukee loaded the bases on Frankie Montas with two outs. Montas then induced a chopper up the middle to two-time Gold Glove Award winner Francisco Lindor.
It might’ve been a tough play regardless of which base Lindor chose to throw to -- though he said he felt the right play was to first -- but he didn’t give himself a chance to make it. The ball sailed past his glove and into center field, allowing the Brewers to take a 2-1 lead.
“In that inning, right there, [Montas] executed,” Lindor said. “He made a pitch to get us out of the inning and come out with a clean inning, and I wasn't able to execute and finish the play for him. He's a guy that's been going through it, and I wanted to be there for him.”
A visible display of frustration came after the inning ended. Lindor entered the dugout, walked down the steps, took the glove off his left hand and slammed it down on the bench three times.
“I take a lot of pride in defense,” he said. “For me, it's like, the pitchers, they work as hard as they can. They study the hitters, they have a gameplan, they execute the pitch. If it's a ground ball to me, it's on me to finish the play for them. That's the frustrating part of this, because Montas did everything right, and I wasn't able to come through for him.”
Lindor also went 0-for-5 on the day -- including an inning-ending strikeout with the bases loaded in the second -- giving him a .176 batting average and a .525 OPS since the All-Star break.
“I have to be better,” Lindor said. “I have to pick up my teammates, I have to be there for my teammates and I have to finish the plays. On offense, defense or baserunning, bottom line, I have to be better.”
That was far from all the frustration for the Mets on Saturday, though.
In the seventh inning, the Brewers tied the game at 4 against Ryne Stanek, and Ryan Helsley then entered in relief with two outs and a runner on third. Helsley got what looked to be a routine ground ball to Ronny Mauricio -- who entered in the sixth as a defensive replacement at third base -- but the ball bounced off Mauricio’s glove and into left field, bringing in the go-ahead run.
The next Milwaukee batter, William Contreras, seemingly lined out to right field to end the frame. But home-plate umpire Ryan Additon called Helsley for a pitch-timer violation, and the at-bat continued.
Contreras then hit a two-run homer on the very next pitch.
“Just continue to make mistakes,” manager Carlos Mendoza said. “We're not playing good baseball. Especially when you're playing against teams like this, you're giving extra outs, extra bases, they're going to make you pay, and that happened today.”