NEW YORK — As the Mets try to figure out how their new pieces fit and what it all means for their eventual World Series chances, they should try to remember that going down 8-0 in the second inning is not conducive to winning.
Taijuan Walker couldn’t get out of the second inning in the Mets’ 9-6 loss to the Braves on Friday night. His eight earned runs stick out like a sore thumb, but failing to get a single whiff on his four-seam fastball or splitter (his two most-used pitches of the season) is really what did him in. When Walker was pulled with nobody out and runners on the corners in the top of the second inning, he sauntered off the mound knowing he had just turned in his worst performance as a Met. The 33-pitch first inning will likely spin around in his brain like clothes in a washing machine. At least he can say he didn’t walk anybody.
The eight earned runs were the most Walker had allowed since April 10, 2015, when he was still a Seattle Mariner. Atlanta batters reached base in all kinds of ways, combining singles, doubles, home runs and even a hit-by-pitch to hang the crooked numbers. Eddie Rosario hit a two-run homer in the first to put his team up by four, then Michael Harris II creamed a solo shot to lead off the second. The Braves followed that up with three straight singles, and when Trevor Williams couldn’t strand any of his inherited runners, the Mets faced an extreme uphill battle before many fans had even gotten through the vicious stadium traffic.
