Mets postgame notes after a loss in the desert

The Mets were defeated by the Diamondbacks by the score of 6-4 tonight at Chase Field.  Here are some postgame notes.  The Mets are about to drop out of the race quickly here, they have done a great job of staying in it but it looks like they are starting to run out of gas. 


The Mets have lost four games in a row, 10 of their last 13, are now three games under .500 for the first time since June 21.

Mike Pelfrey started for the Mets, and while he pitched well for four innings, he had to leave the game after he took a come backer on his elbow off the bat of Gerardo Parra in the fifth inning.

D.J. Carrasco, who was second in the league in stranding inherited runners, allowed a three run home run to Ryan Roberts in that fifth inning, allowing Parra to score.

Mike Baxter had a big night, going 2 for 4 with two runs scored including an RBI triple in the fourth inning.

Ruben Tejada contributed two hits and two RBI.

Here are some thoughts from Matthew Cerrone over at Metsblog.com, I thought Pelfrey looked as good as he has in a long time before being removed from tonight’s game. He struggled in the first inning but was crisp and efficient for his final three innings. It was the right move to remove Pelfrey after being struck by that line drive – there is no reason to risk him trying to compensate for any swelling in his elbow, and potentially doing some major damage to his arm.

Unfortunately, asking for five innings from the bullpen, especially the Mets bullpen, is a lot to ask, and the Mets got burned almost immediately by the injury to Pelfrey. Carrasco floated a hanger to Ryan Roberts and Pedro Beato once again struggled with his command which allowed the Diamondbacks to rally from behind and beat the Mets for a second straight night.

On a more positive note, I’m enjoying watching Baxter this week, as he’s becoming a very nice story as the Mets fade down the stretch of the season. He has a nice swing and doesn’t try to do too much at the plate, and makes solid contact as a result. He’s a guy that the fans can root for as so many Mets are right now.  The Mets have been doing this with a lot of young guys.  The good thing is the guys that make the team will have lots of experience from this year. 

By the way, x-rays were taken on Pelfrey’s elbow and they were negative; he is day-to-day with a contusion in his right elbow.

The Mets will look to salvage the final game of their three game series with the Diamondbacks tomorrow afternoon at Chase Field in Phoenix, with Chris Capuano facing Jason Marquis at 4:10 PM ET.