After 5th Straight Loss, Wright Insists Plenty Of Fight Left In Mets
WASHINGTON (WFAN/AP) — Before the Mets' series with NL East-leading Washington Nationals, manager Terry Collins said it was imperative the Mets left town feeling good about themselves.
After Tuesday, that has become an uphill battle.
Pedro Beato threw a wild pitch with the bases loaded in the 10th inning that allowed the winning run to score, and the Nationals beat the Mets 5-4 after blowing a late lead.
"There's some guys that are really upset in the other room, and they should be," Collins said. "It's time to reach down inside and pull out whatever you've got left and make something out of the remainder of this trip."
The loss was the fifth in a row for New York.
"Judging by what I've seen in this clubhouse so far this year, nobody's going to feel sorry for ourselves, and nobody's going to put their heads down and go just through the motions," David Wright said. "We're going to continue to fight."
LISTEN: Wright after Mets' brutal loss
The Nationals fell behind twice after leading 2-0 going into the ninth inning. Mets pinch-hitter Jordany Valdespin hit a three-run homer off closer Tyler Clippard. Then Josh Thole's RBI double put the Mets up 4-3 in the 10th after Danny Espinosa's single off Bobby Parnell in the bottom of the ninth sent it to extra innings.
Bryce Harper tied it in the 10th with a run-scoring triple off Tim Byrdak (2-1) before Beato entered with the bases loaded.
Jhonatan Solano led off the 10th with a single. Steve Lombardozzi bunted him to second. Harper tripled to right off Tim Byrdak (2-1) to tie it. Ryan Zimmerman and Ian Desmond were walked intentionally to load the bases. Adam LaRoche grounded to first baseman Ike Davis, who threw home to force Harper for the second out.
Beato came on to face Tyler Moore, and bounced a 1-2 pitch in the dirt. Thole, the catcher, wasn't able to reach the ball in time, and Zimmerman scored standing up.
"It sucks. There is no other way to describe it. These guys played their a--es off for 10 innings tonight," said Byrdak, according to the New York Daily News. "We didn't get it done as a bullpen."
"I've got to block it. That's the bottom line," Thole said. "I was ready to block it. I just didn't get it done."
Ryan Mattheus (3-1), Washington's fifth pitcher, retired the only batter he faced in the 10th for the win.
Moore hit a fifth-inning home run and Lombardozzi had an eighth-inning RBI double for Washington to give the Nationals a 2-0 lead
Clippard started the ninth by allowing singles to the first two hitters, Thole and Wright. After he struck out Scott Hairston, Valdespin hit a 1-2 pitch just over the scoreboard in right-center field his fifth of the season. In May, Valdepsin had a three-run, pinch-hit homer in the ninth against the Phillies for his first big league hit.
"He's full of confidence," Wright said. "I think that he believes that he belongs here. He puts about as good an at-bat as a pinch hitter I think that I've ever seen."
Nationals manager Davey Johnson questioned the call and after a review, it was confirmed to be a home run.
In the bottom of the ninth, Michael Morse and LaRoche singled off Parnell. Desmond pinch-ran for Morse, and with two outs, scored on Espinosa's RBI single.
Starter Ross Detwiler gave up five hits, struck out four and walked none in seven innings — his longest appearance of the year. He was taken out of the starting rotation for a month in favor of Chien Ming-Wang, but returned on June 24.
The Nationals had only three hits off New York starter Jonathon Niese, but one of them was Moore's fifth home run of the year, a one-out shot to right field.
Niese struck out eight without a walk.
In the eighth, pinch-hitter Mark DeRosa walked with two outs off Ramon Ramirez and Lombardozzi doubled to left off Josh Edgin to make it 2-0.
Will the Mets bounce back, or is this scrappy team about to slide out of contention? Be heard in the comments below...
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