Mets Lose to Angels in 11
So it’s “fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.” There is no saying for the third time, but we’ll have to come up with one because once again Dillon Gee fooled Terry Collins into leaving him in a game. And for the third time he failed, and te Angels went on to beat the Mets in 11 innings.
Picking up where he left off Thursday, Eric Young led off the game with a single. Daniel Murphy also singled to move Young to third. David Wright then bounced into a double play that scored Young, but took the Mets out of a potential big inning.
Mike Trout got the run right back in the bottom of the first when he crushed a Dillon Gee offering over the wall in left center to tie the game at one.
The Angels took a 2-1 lead in the bottom of the second — Howie Kendrick doubled and came home on a single by Chris Iannetta.
Then it was the Mets turn to tie the game on a home run, off the bat of Travis d’Arnaud in the top of the third. It was his first homer of the year and second of his career.
With one out in the fourth Andrew Brown, the designated hitter batting cleanup (!) plunked a single into right. Curtis Granderson followed with a slow roller to third off the end of his bat. The Angels had a shift on and the ball rolled into left field, slow enough for Granderson to get a double out of it. With runners on second and third, Josh Satin, starting at first over both Ike Davis and Lucas Duda, doubled to plate two runs to give the Mets a 4-2 lead.
With one out in the sixth Gee walked Kendrick. His pitch count was already in the 90s, which is when Gee tires. Dan Warthen came out to talk to him but Gee remained in the game. Bad move because J.B. Shuck sent a Gee pitch into the seats in right to tie the game at four. Still, Gee was not pulled. He got a strikeout, but when he allowed a single on his 100th pitch, Collins finally took Gee out. Carlos Torres issued a walk but then closed out the inning.
Gee went 5.2 innings, allowing four runs on six hits. He struck out five and walked four. Gee now has repeated the same pattern in all three of his starts this season. It is time Collins learned just to take Gee out at the first sign of trouble after he reaches 90 pitches. His ERA after three starts is 5.03.
The Mets survived a scare in the eighth. The Angels managed to load the bases with two outs, but Kyle Farnsworth was able to induce a grounder from Albert Pujols to end the inning and keep the score tied.
Jeurys Familia pitched a scoreless ninth to send the game into extra innings. He was back out there for the 10th. With two outs the Angels had runners on first and second with Pujols coming up. Familia retired him on a comebacker on the first pitch to keep the game going.
Apparently not wanting to call on John Lannan and his 36.00 ERA (the only warm body left in the bullpen except for closer Jose Valverde), Collins kept Mejia in the game for a third inning. Ancient Raul Ibanez led off with a single. A wild pitch in the dirt that got past d’Arnaud moved Ibanez to second. He advanced to third on a ground out to short. Kendrick and Shuck were intentionally walked to load the bases and set up a force play at any base. Instead, Familia hit Hank Conger on a 2-2 pitch to force in the game winning run.
Mets lose 5-4 in a game that ended just after 2 am New York time.