Jeurys Familia had two easy nights against the Giants that should have ended all discussion about demons, but then came Wednesday and a gut-punch for the Mets.
This was hardly the trauma of Conor Gillaspie hitting a three-run homer against Familia to all but end the Mets’ season in last year’s NL wild-card game, but the sting of a 6-5 loss to the Giants will carry into Thursday’s off day and perhaps beyond.
“My command today wasn’t there,” Familia said after Christian Arroyo’s three-run double helped return the Mets below .500, completing a homestand in which they still won four of six games.
Familia was working for a third straight day, but had thrown just 15 pitches combined in the previous two. The blown save was his first in four chances this season, after missing two weeks while serving a 15-game suspension for violating MLB’s domestic violence policy.
The use of Familia for a third straight day only underscored manager Terry Collins’ over-reliance on his bullpen as he awaits a rebound from his underwhelming starting rotation. And so the manager wasn’t in the mood to wonder if he made the right call in summoning Familia a night earlier with the Mets leading by five runs in the ninth inning.
“He threw 10 pitches [Tuesday], he’s the closer, he’s used to that,” Collins said. “He’s used to coming back, that is what he’s done for years. He had 51 saves last year and go look it up how many times he pitched three days in a row. That was not the issue. He didn’t have his command, the walk to [Joe] Panik hurt us, the walk hurt us, and they got a big hit. That’s the way baseball is.”
For the record, there were seven instances last year in which Familia worked three straight days. On the third day he recorded six saves, with one blown. This season he had one previous instance of working three straight days — and recorded the save on the third day.
Panik walked to begin the Giants’ go-ahead rally in the ninth and Wilmer Flores then booted Eduardo Nunez’s potential double-play grounder. Panik was safe at second on Flores’ wide throw and Hunter Pence’s ensuing RBI single tied it 3-3. Buster Posey then walked to load the bases before Arroyo unloaded them with his double.
Flores nearly tied the game in the bottom of the ninth, narrowly missing a three-run homer. The shot to left-center went for a two-run double and Derek Law then retired Kevin Plawecki for the final out. Collins indicated he did not use his last remaining pinch-hitter, Rene Rivera, to replace the struggling Plawecki because the Giants could have walked the bases loaded with two outs, forcing the pitcher to bat.
“We’re right where we want to be, but a little mistake [defensively] cost us the game,” Flores said, referring to his error.
Tommy Milone went five-plus innings in his Mets debut and allowed two earned runs on six hits with five strikeouts and two walks. The 30-year-old lefty, who was claimed off waivers from the Brewers earlier in the week, had replaced scuffling Rafael Montero in the rotation.
Milone’s RBI single in the fifth gave the Mets an unearned run that extended their lead to 3-1. After Curtis Granderson reached on Buster Posey’s fielding error at first base, Flores singled and Milone hit a two-out RBI bouncer to right field.
Jay Bruce’s solo homer in the third snapped a 1-1 tie.
Jerry Blevins recorded an important out in the eighth, retiring Brandon Belt with the tying run at second base, highlighting a productive day by the Mets’ bullpen before Familia’s implosion.
“Jerry Blevins has pitched three days in a row, Addison Reed has pitched three days in a row, [Tuesday] night we had to win a game,” Collins said. “And if you bring in someone else in the ninth inning and they get on, you have to go to Familia. I had to worry about winning the game, I did not know what was going to happen today, [Milone] hadn’t pitched in 10 days.”