The Mets still haven’t won back-to-back games since before the All-Star break. This time, the fault goes to Hansel Robles for kicking away another winnable effort by Steven Matz.
MATZ: Effort wasted. (AP)
Robles threw 32 pitches – few of them good – as he gave up three runs in two-thirds of an inning in the seventh of Tuesday night’s 5-3 loss to Arizona at Citi Field.
The Mets had taken a 3-2 lead in the sixth on Neil Walker’s two-run homer to give Matz a chance at the win.
However, manager Terry Collins allowed Robles to stay in the game to walk two hitters and give up three hits. The Diamondbacks also executed a double-steal It’s a close game, so it’s hard to understand Collins’ logic for leaving an ineffective reliever in the game that long.
“You saw him fall behind in some counts,” Collins said. “He had been so good. You think you have the perfect set-up. He just didn’t get it done.”
That was the main storyline of the night, with the others being Matz and injury updates.
MATZ’S EFFORT WASTED: Based on runs given up, Matz pitched well enough to win most games. Two runs in six innings should have beaten Zack Greinke.
However, those were six rough innings. He threw 28 pitches in the first inning and was nearing 50 after two innings.
“The first inning killed him,” Collins said. “After that, he settled down and pitched well.”
Here’s another question: Why would Collins allow Matz to throw 120 pitches?
Collins said he had no trepidation in letting Matz throw that many pitches. Matz didn’t have any problems, either.
“No, I felt really good,” Matz said. “I didn’t feel tired at the end. I felt strong.”
INJURY UPDATES: Yoenis Cespedes took batting practice. GM Sandy Alderson, as both he and Collins frequently do, said he expects Cespedes to be activated after the 15 days. You have heard that before, right? … The news isn’t so encouraging for shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera. He hit off a tee. … Jose Reyes’ right side remains sore. He was supposed to start a rehab assignment Tuesday. … Reliever Jim Henderson, whom the Mets pushed hard too soon following his surgery, will have his rehab assignment moved from Port St. Lucie to Triple-A Las Vegas. … Zack Wheeler will stay in Port St. Lucie to make a second rehab start.
NOTES: Alderson said he will talk with Walker’s agents about an extension. … The Diamondbacks stole five bases off Mets’ pitchers. “That’s something we have to clean up,” Collins said. … Logan Verrett will stay in the rotation and start Friday. … After the game, the Mets optioned Brandon Nimmo to Las Vegas. They did not announce a corresponding move, but speculation is it could be a reliever. … Matt Harvey watched the game from the dugout. … Bartolo Colon will start Wednesday. … The Mets fell to 2.5 games behind the second wild-card.
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