Somehow, some way, the New York Mets found a way to steal the opener of the NLDS on the road against the NL East champion Philadelphia Phillies despite Zack Wheeler pitching the game of his life against his former team.
It looked as if the Mets carried their momentum into Game 2, as the Mets took a 3-0 lead thanks to Pete Alonso’s opposite field home run. Luis Severino was dealing, and the Phillies looked completely lost.
Unfortunately for New York, the Phillies are the elite team that they are for a reason. They were never just going to go away without a fight. They wound up coming back from a 3-0 deficit, wound up surviving yet another late-game Mets comeback, and won the game in the bottom of the ninth thanks to Nick Castellanos’ walk-off hit.
Entering the series, the Mets probably would’ve been thrilled to split the first two games at a raucous Citizens Bank Park with a chance to close the series out with a couple of wins at Citi Field. The Mets losing this game in the fashion that they did, though, stings. These three players in particular deserve to shoulder most of the blame for this frustrating loss.
3 Mets to blame for NLDS Game 2 loss to Phillies
3) Luis Severino handed the Phillies momentum that they desperately needed
Luis Severino’s Game 2 start was mostly brilliant. He dominated through five scoreless innings, and even got the first two men out in the bottom of the sixth. He was one out away from keeping this a 3-0 Mets lead with only nine outs left to record, and his pitch count was in good shape, too. Unfortunately, he struggled mightily to get that elusive third out.
Trea Turner singled, and Bryce Harper got the Phillies on the board by launching a long two-run homer. The Phillies’ offense finally woke up, but at least the Mets still had the lead, right? Two pitches later, that would no longer be the case.
Nick Castellanos drilled a solo shot to left field to tie the game at three runs apiece. The Phillies looked like a team poised to go down 2-0 in the series, but these back-to-back home runs helped spark them.
Severino’s numbers on the day were not bad at all. He allowed three runs in six innings – a quality start. He did not walk a batter and struck out seven. He gave the Mets a clear chance to win. The home runs he allowed, though, allowed Philadelphia to get back into the game. That helped give them the spark that they needed in their win.
2) Tylor Megill proved he’s not cut out for a late-game role
What we’ve learned this postseason is that the Mets bullpen lacks depth. There are four or five relievers that Carlos Mendoza trusts, and that’s about it. With Reed Garrett, Phil Maton, and Ryne Stanek seemingly unavailable, that list shrunk exponentially. That’s part of why Tylor Megill, a starting pitcher who was in Triple-A in late August, was even on the mound with the game on the line.
With Danny Young and Adam Ottavino being the only other options out of the bullpen, Mendoza trusting Megill to replace Edwin Diaz after he blew New York’s eight-inning lead isn’t the problem. Megill simply didn’t execute.
Megill did get the final two outs of the eighth and the first two outs in the ninth, but couldn’t send the game to extra innings. He walked Trea Turner and Bryce Harper in succession, setting the stage for Nick Castellanos who already had two hits, including a home run earlier in the game. Megill got ahead of the free-swinging Castellanos 1-2, but instead of throwing something out of the zone to try and get him to chase, Megill threw a hanging slider that Castellanos lined to left field to win the game.
NICK CASTELLANOS WINS IT FOR THE @PHILLIES!!! #NLDS pic.twitter.com/vM14etkamy
— MLB (@MLB) October 6, 2024
At the end of the day, Megill proved that he could not be trusted in this kind of high-leverage role. Hopefully, the Mets can find a way to avoid having to turn to him in another big spot.
1) Edwin Diaz failed to come through when the Mets needed him most
Carlos Mendoza’s decision to bring Edwin Diaz into the game in the seventh inning was a no-brainer. The Phillies had two men on and two men out with the always-terrifying Kyle Schwarber coming up. Diaz, when the Mets needed him to, struck Schwarber out to put an end to that frame. The Mets were ahead 4-3, and were six outs away from taking a commanding 2-0 series lead.
Diaz finding a way to strand the inherited runners gave Mets fans reason to believe that he’d find a way to navigate the eighth inning with the bases empty. Unfortunately, that couldn’t be further from the truth.
He struck Trea Turner out to begin the inning, but appeared to want no part of Bryce Harper, walking him on four pitches. Castellanos followed that up with a single, and then Bryson Stott cleared the bases with a two-run triple. He’d score on a J.T. Realmuto fielder’s choice on the fourth pitch Tylor Megill threw.
What was a 4-3 Mets lead turned into a 6-4 Mets deficit when the dust settled in the bottom of the eighth. Mark Vientos tried to will the Mets back by tying the game, but Megill couldn’t send the game to extra innings.
For this Mets team to go where they want to go, they’ll need Edwin Diaz to pitch like Edwin Diaz. When he’s brought in to protect a one-run lead, he needs to protect said lead. Had he pitched to his capabilities, there’s a good chance that the Mets are headed to New York with a 2-0 lead.
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