The Mets haven’t even finished their first series of the new season, but Curtis Granderson is already hearing boos at Citi Field.
Granderson went hitless for a second straight game and appeared lost at the plate on a night the Mets could have used something resembling a significant hit. But Gio Gonzalez saw to it that the Mets’ bats were silenced after a respectable Opening Day display against Stephen Strasburg.
Granderson ran his tally to 0-for-9 with five strikeouts for his new team and Bartolo Colon wasn’t anything special in his Mets debut. It translated into a 5-1 loss to the Nationals on Wednesday.
“It’s two games in,” Granderson said. “I’ve got a lot of at-bats over the course of the season still remaining and you’ve still got to get the swing right, that’s part of the game. I’m not too concerned one way or the other. It’s just baseball being baseball. I’ve gotten a couple of balls to hit, just haven’t been in the right position to do what I want with them.”
Bobby Parnell will be sidelined for at least six weeks as he attempts to rehab a partially torn medial collateral ligament, but the newly configured bullpen — which features Jose Valverde as the closer — didn’t factor significantly into this one.
Gonzalez, a lefty, allowed only one run on three hits with six strikeouts and one walk over six innings and improved to 6-1 against the Mets in nine career starts.
The Mets struck out 13 times, increasing their total to 31 over two games. In the final three innings alone, the Mets struck out seven times against Drew Storen, Tyler Clippard and Craig Stammen.
Granderson, who signed a four-year deal worth $60 million in December to bolster the Mets lineup, heard boos after striking out to end the first. The noise got louder after he struck out to end the seventh. In the ninth, Granderson fell behind 0-2 to Stammen before flying out to center.
“One of the toughest things is to switch leagues, face guys you’ve never seen before,” Collins said, referring to Granderson’s nine-year run in the AL before this season. “You can have all the tape and other stuff you want, until you get in that batter’s box and face them, it’s a different game.”
Gonzalez Germen allowed a run over two innings in relief before Kyle Farnsworth entered in the ninth for his Mets debut. The right-hander surrendered a run that gave the Nationals their final margin of victory.
Colon lasted six innings, allowing three earned runs on nine hits with four strikeouts. The right-hander started strong, but incurred trouble in the middle innings, including two home runs allowed in the fifth.
“I felt good and I think I pitched very well,” Colon said.
Ruben Tejada was thrown out at the plate to end the fifth, after Colon failed to get down a sacrifice bunt. With two outs, Juan Lagares hit a shot down the third-base line that caromed off the tarp into short left field. Third-base coach Tim Teufel gave Tejada the green light, but Bryce Harper’s throw home nailed Tejada by plenty.
Tejada was confused by the new home-plate collision rule, according to Collins, and avoided contact with catcher Jose Lobaton. But because Lobaton had the ball, Tejada by rule could have made contact.
“[Tejada] didn’t realize he could run into the catcher, but he does have to slide,” Collins said. “He didn’t know what he has to do.”
Moments earlier, Colon had struck out attempting to get down a sacrifice bunt.
Colon got knocked around in the fifth, when he surrendered a pair of solo homers and fell into a 3-1 hole. Ian Desmond homered leading off the inning before Colon retired Lobaton and surrendered a blast to the opposing pitcher Gonzalez.
Adam LaRoche’s RBI double an inning earlier had pulled the Nationals to 1-1. LaRoche, who homered on Opening Day, continues to be a Mets killer for his career. Overall, he’s knocked in 72 runs in 435 career at-bats against the Mets.
“What you saw today was not [Colon’s] best stuff,” Collins said. “I’ve never seen in the last few years Bartolo pitch up so much. Usually you see those balls getting beat in the ground because of the sinker and today they were hitting fly balls.”