The Mets suffered a preventable loss to the Braves on Tuesday night in Atlanta, letting an 4-1 lead slip away in the eighth inning before failing to come through in extras.
And while there was plenty of blame to go around for the defeat, it can be argued that it would’ve been a relatively uneventful and smooth win if the bottom of the eighth inning had been handled just a bit differently.
With David Peterson in the midst of another strong performance — on the heels of a shutout his last time out — he was left in to start the eighth against Atlanta’s No. 9 hitter Nick Allen, which was sensible.
“Especially with the way he was throwing the ball, you got a three-run lead there, he’s at 82 pitches with the nine-hole [hitter],” Carlos Mendozasaid after the game. “He walked him there, you still like your chances with getting a ground ball, he was getting a lot of ground balls.”
Once Peterson lost Allen — who came into the at-bat with a .553 OPS — to a walk, though, his night should’ve been over.
Instead, Peterson was left in to face the dangerous Ronald Acuña Jr., who ripped a single to put runners on first and second with none out.
At that point,Mendoza came out of the dugout to remove Peterson while bringing Reed Garrett in.
The problem, beyond the fact that Peterson was kept in a batter too long, was that Garrett was seemingly rushed in.
When the inning started, Garrett was not even beginning to warm up. That didn’t happen until right after Allen walked, when Garrett hurriedly began to toss. He had just over two minutes to get ready in the bullpen before being summoned.
Garrett allowed a single to the first batter he faced before getting the next two outs. With Marcell Ozuna up and the count 2-2, Garrett was one pitch away from escaping the jam. But Ozuna stroked a bases-clearing double down the left field line on a splitter that wasn’t down enough.
It’s impossible to know what would’ve happened if Garrett was brought in right after the walk. But it’s more than fair to question the process, which resulted in Peterson staying in one batter too long and Garrett perhaps not being as ready to go as he would’ve been if he had started throwing in the bullpen sooner.
Another questionable move by Mendoza was sticking with designated hitter Jared Young in the 10th inning.
With the game tied, 4-4, and the free runner on second base to start the frame, Young — who had four hits in 26 at-bats when his time at the plate started — led off.
Young had looked overmatched all game, striking out twice. And he struck out for a third time leading off the 10th.
The obvious choice would’ve been to pinch-hit for Young with Starling Marte, who has been hot — reaching base 13 times in his last 28 plate appearances. And who has a career full of experience in big spots.
Again, it’s impossible to know if the Mets had won if Peterson was pulled earlier. And it’s impossible to know if they would’ve won if Marte hit for Young. But it’s also impossible to argue that they wouldn’t have been in a better position to do so.
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