NEW YORK -- Mets catcher Luis Torrens made a costly throwing error on Saturday in a loss to the Reds.
On Sunday afternoon, Torrens was able to turn the page. His hard-hit ground ball in the bottom of the eighth inning proved to be the difference in New York’s 3-2 victory over Cincinnati at Citi Field.
With the score tied at 2, the Mets had runners on second and third with one out and Reds right-hander Tony Santillan on the mound. Torrens worked the count full and hit a rocket to second baseman Matt McLain, who grabbed the ball from his left side. But his throw to the plate arrived late and Juan Soto scored the go-ahead run.
“For me, you have to get the momentum going,” Soto said about moving from third to home. “I was going on contact. I was trying to make sure I was ready when [Torrens] hit the ball. I’m just going. Just keep your feet moving, be focused on the contact of the swing and make sure whenever the swing is coming, the foot is landing and you are ready to go. That’s all you got. You put your head down and try to score.”
For Torrens, driving in the winning run comes a day after he made an unthinkable throw that played a role in Saturday’s 5-2 loss. Cincinnati had runners on first and second with no outs in the third inning when Torrens tried to pick off Noelvi Marte at first. Problem was, neither first baseman Pete Alonso nor second baseman Brett Baty was looking for a throw. The ball went by both infielders, allowing Jake Fraley to score.
Torrens wasn’t available to the media on Saturday, but Sunday was a different story when he talked about driving in the game-winning run in the series finale.
“It was a great decision by the coaches. It was a great play by Soto to score the run,” Torrens said. “I tried to make good contact. I tried to select a good pitch and just bring Soto home.”
Manager Carlos Mendoza said Torrens is a guy who continues to give everything on the field. Lately, Torrens has been taking quite a few foul tips to the body. He may be hurting, but he always remains in the game.
“It’s just another day on the job,” Torrens said.
It was Torrens, in fact, who had to calm Edwin Díaz in the eighth inning. With New York up, 2-1, Díaz had problems throwing strikes, while the Reds scored the tying run after Spencer Steer was hit by a pitch to force home McLain.
Torrens then went to the mound and had a talk with Díaz, who struck out Tyler Stephenson to end the threat.
“[The talk] slowed [Díaz] down a little bit,” Mendoza said. "On a day where Díaz comes in and he is not at his best, Luis recognized the moment where Díaz was at. Torrens took a step back, one pitch at a time, just executed it and kept the game right here. I thought it was a key moment.”
Díaz is usually the guy who closes out the ninth inning, but he threw 16 pitches in the eighth and Ryne Stanek worked the ninth for his second save of the season.
It was a game that saw David Peterson make his first start after his first All-Star appearance. And he showed once again why 2025 is his breakout season, giving the Mets length with six strong innings. The lefty allowed one unearned run on four hits and one walk to go with four strikeouts.
At first, it looked like Peterson was in for a long afternoon. TJ Friedl led off the game and reached base on a throwing error by second baseman Luisangel Acuña. Friedl ended up scoring on a single by Elly De La Cruz.
Peterson had problems getting out of the second frame. In fact, the Reds had the bases loaded with two outs, but Peterson was able to get out of the frame by striking out McLain. Peterson would then retire 11 of the next 12 hitters he faced.
“He was really good on a day where he was missing arm side, especially with the sinker,” Mendoza said. “He got ground balls. I thought the slider came and went, but he executed when he needed to.”
You will not hear Peterson complain about Torrens calling games behind the plate.
“Pitching to Louie the last two years has been great. I feel like we have been able to build a really good relationship,” Peterson said. “We are just on the same page the entire game. Going in with a game plan and letting the game dictate how we kind of adjust. He has done a great job back there. He is as tough as nails. ... The perseverance and the focus that he has is very commendable.”