Mets’ whirlwind homestand ends on low note with blown-save loss to Diamondbacks
NEW YORK — The Mets’ whirlwind homestand ended on a low note.
Yet another late-inning bullpen collapse doomed the Mets in their 5-4 loss to the Diamondbacks at Citi Field on Sunday, robbing them of their first series victory in nearly a month.
With a 4-3 lead in the top of the ninth inning, Mets reliever Jake Diekman surrendered a leadoff double to Gabriel Moreno and a go-ahead two-run home run to Ketel Marte.
The blown save was the Mets’ 11th in 24 opportunities this season.
Marte also crushed a leadoff solo home run against Mets starter Jose Quintana to begin the game. Lourdes Gurriel Jr. added another solo homer five pitches later.
The Mets trailed 3-0 entering the bottom of the third but answered with a four-run, two-out rally against Arizona’s Brandon Pfaadt. Brandon Nimmo struck a two-run triple to tie the game, 3-3, and the next batter, J.D. Martinez, put the Mets up, 4-3, with an RBI triple of his own.
That score held up until the ninth inning.
Diekman’s dud undid an otherwise valiant effort by the Mets’ bullpen, which to that point had totaled four scoreless innings from Dedniel Núñez, Danny Young, Reed Garrett and Adam Ottavino.
The Mets continue to navigate a banged up bullpen that lost struggling closer Edwin Diaz to the 15-day injured list last week due to a shoulder impingement. Diaz blew four saves in May, including three consecutively before the IL stint.
Sunday’s loss completed a 3-7 homestand in which the Mets dropped two out of three to the Giants and got swept by the Dodgers before splitting with the Diamondbacks.
The homestand commanded national attention when reliever Jorge López was ejected from Wednesday’s loss to Los Angeles for arguing a checked-swing call and, on his way to the dugout, tossed his glove into the stands.
López raised eyebrows with a profanity-filled postgame media address, after which a debate arose whether López called himself the “worst teammate” or the Mets the worst team in the league. López was born in Puerto Rico, and English is not his first language.
On Thursday, the Mets designated López for assignment, with manager Carlos Mendoza saying the pitcher’s behavior did not live up to the organization’s standards. In an Instagram apology, López said he had called himself the “worst teammate” and did not intend to disparage the Mets.
A highlight of the homestand, meanwhile, came Saturday, when the Mets retired Darryl Strawberry’s No. 18. Strawberry, who starred on the 1986 World Series team, survived a massive heart attack less than three months earlier.
The Mets’ wins over Arizona on Thursday and Friday marked their first consecutive victories since May 6-7 in St. Louis. The Mets have not won a series since that set against the Cardinals.
The Mets are set to begin a three-game series in Washington, D.C., on Monday before traveling to London for next weekend’s two-game set against the Phillies.
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