NEW YORK — Ugly, sloppy baseball.
The Mets did nothing right in Wednesday’s 10-2 defeat to the Brewers, with the pitching staff and Francisco Lindor creating the most disappointment.
Lindor not only went 0 for 3 at the plate with two strikeouts, but he flubbed a grounder that might’ve saved the Mets from such an embarrassing scoreline.
Simply put, it was a slog all night for the Mets. And Lindor’s botched play at shortstop was part of the mud underneath. It was scored a clean single for Milwaukee’s Lorenzo Cain — and the ball was redirected after bouncing off pitcher Jake Reed’s foot — but Lindor would’ve ended the inning if he fielded it cleanly. Instead, the floodgates opened, the blowout commenced, and fans started trickling toward the parking lot.
The Brewers scored seven runs in the fifth inning off three different pitchers — including six runs after Lindor’s fumble. Reed bore the brunt with five earned runs in 2/3 of an inning. He also walked in a run.
Lindor, meanwhile, was replaced in the eighth inning by JD Davis and is batting .125 with zero RBIs in his last eight games.
A night earlier, Mets starter Chris Bassitt was crisp and efficient while shutting out the Brewers over eight innings. David Peterson, the starter Wednesday night, was the opposite.
Peterson’s uphill climb started in the first inning, when he hit back-to-back batters and allowed two runs on Luis Urias’ single. Peterson was pulled in the fourth inning after conceding four runs on six hits, managing 41 strikes on his 73 pitches. Peterson also tossed a pick-off into the dirt for an error, which was the first of three throws to get past first baseman Pete Alonso on Wednesday.
Milwaukee (35-29) won for just the third time in its last 14 games and didn’t need a single homer to hit double digits. Starter Corbin Burnes picked up the win with six innings pitched, allowing two runs and five hits with eight strikeouts.
The Mets (41-23) had their NL East lead cut to four games because the Braves won again, topping the Nationals on Wednesday night for a 14th consecutive victory.
Jeff McNeil drove in both the Mets’ runs, including a solo homer in the fourth inning.
Starling Marte, who went 1 for 2, left the game after getting hit by Burnes’ pitch in his right forearm. X-rays were negative and he’s listed as day-to-day with a contusion.
