Mets Lose 2016 Opening Game to Royals

It was a case of deja vu on opening night for the Mets on Sunday — Matt Harvey on the mound in Kansas City. Unfortunately, the 2016 season started the same way the 2015 World Series ended, with a Mets loss.

Yoenis Cespedes made another boner in the field to lead to a Royals run in the first. With one out Mike Moustakas hit an easy liner to him in left. Cespedes somehow managed not to close his glove and it bounced out for an error. Travis d’Arnaud didn’t help matters with a passed ball to move Moustakas to second. Lorenzo Cain walked. Eric Hosmer singled through short, a possible double play ball had the Mets not playing him the other way, to score Moustakas to make it 1-0. An actual double play ended the inning.

A sacrifice fly in the fourth made it 2-0.

The Royals put the game to rest in the sixth. Cain led off with a walk. Hosmer reached on a bunt single. Kendrys Morales grounded into a double play to move Cain to third. Alex Gordon singled to score Cain to make it 3-0. Salvador Perez singled, and that was all for Harvey. Bartolo Colon came on and promptly allowed a single to make it 4-0.

Harvey went 5.2 innings, allowing four runs (three earned) on eight hits. He walked two and struck out only two. He did not pitch as poorly as that line, but he was far from his dominant self, too.

The Mets managed virtually nothing against Edinson Volquez. He held the Mets to two hits in six shutout innings.

The Mets tried to climb back in the eighth. Juan Lagares led off with a single. Curtis Granderson walked. After David Wright struck out, Cespedes walked to load the bases. Lucas Duda came through with the big hit, a two-run single to the opposite field. With one out and runners on first and third, Neil Walker grounded out to score Cespedes to cut the lead to 4-3. Michael Conforto singled to put runners on first and second. But Asdrubal Cabrera struck out to end the inning and keep the Mets down a run.

d’Arnaud led off the ninth with a walk against closer Wade Davis. Eric Campbell ran for him. He was the first out of the inning on an Alejandro De Aza fielder’s choice. Granderson singled up the middle. De Aza hustled and made it to third. With the potential tying run 90 feet away, Wright struck out for the second out. It was up to Cespedes. No 2015-style heroics on this night — he struck out to end the game.

Mets lose Game 1 of the 2016 season, 4-3.