If there is anything positive to take away from the Mets’ offense, at least it can finally say it had some “heart” last night.
Despite the Amazins’ 3-4-5 hitters having 14 fewer home runs and 17 fewer RBI heading into last night’s game, David Wright, Marlon Byrd and newcomer Josh Satin went toe-to-toe with the better known, more offensively potent triumvirate of Ryan Zimmerman, Adam LaRoche and Jayson Werth in a 6-4 loss at Citi Field.
“I’m confident in any of the guys, all 25 [on this roster],” Byrd said. “Even the guys who have just come up from triple-A.”
Just one day after hitting the game-winning two-run home run against the Rockies to close out the Mets’ 11-game road trip, Byrd again attempted to be the hero and the Amazins’ homestand by driving in what, at the time, appeared to be the eventual game-winner against the Nationals on Friday night.
“I’m just working hard, trying to get my mechanics right and stick to my approach,” Byrd said. “I’ve been trying to get a pitch to hit, not swing at balls, only swing at strikes so it gives me a chance.”
It was looking to be a successful night overall not just for Byrd, but for the heart of the Mets order as a whole. Between Wright, Byrd and Satin, the Mets’ 3-4-5 hitters went a combined 6-for-13 with three RBI and two runs scored.
“When [Harvey on the mound], you know he’s going to put up zeroes, you know he is going to keep you in the game so you want to go out there and get one, two, three runs for him so you know you always have a chance,” Byrd said.
Satin, who has started the past five games for the Mets at first base, continued to impress, extending his hitting streak to four games with a fourth-inning double. Satin finished with a career-high three hits and tied the highest RBI output (two) of his short career.
“It’s comfort,” Satin said. “For the first time in my career I have had a steady amount of at-bats and it has allowed me to get comfortable. I always thought that I could [play at this level] but actually doing something on the field, it’s different.”
But then the bullpen took over for Harvey.
Prior to the Mets’ implosion in the top of the eighth inning, Zimmerman, LaRoche and Werth were completely outclassed, going a paltry 1-for-9 with six strikeouts against Harvey. It was only after Zimmerman’s bases-clearing double off of Brandon Lyon that Washington’s offense even sniffed a rally.
Then, leading off the ninth against closer Bobby Parnell, Werth joined the party, roping a double and scoring on Ian Desmond’s two-bagger to score the game-winning run for Washington.
“It’s obviously disappointing, we had been playing well over the past 11, 12 days on the road trip,” Satin said. “With your best guy on the mound you want to start the homestand the same way you ended the road trip.”
The Mets’ hottest hitter remained Wright, who is batting .383 since June 5 with 13 runs scored, nine doubles and five home runs.
Wright came into Friday’s game leading all National League third basemen in All-Star voting and further bolstered his case to earn the starting nod in the mid-summer classic at Citi Field next month.
And although there were some faint signs of life in the middle of the order, the Mets’ offensive struggles continued at Citi Field. Friday’s game was the 27th straight game where the Mets have failed to score at least five runs at home, making it the longest such stretch in team history.