BUFFALO, N.Y. _ At this point, if the Mets lose, you expect it to be because of their pitching _ a starter got rocked or did not provide length, or perhaps the bullpen melted down.
You don't expect it to be because of the offense that had scored 49 runs over its last five games.
For the Mets, that might be what stung most about Saturday's 3-2 loss to the Blue Jays at Sahlen Field in Buffalo. New York's pitching, while not perfect, kept it in the game, but its offense couldn't break through.
The game ended as Amed Rosario, on first base after striking out but reaching on a wild pitch, was picked off. The call was made via a replay review.
But before that, it looked like the Mets could rally in the ninth.
Down a run, Brandon Nimmo led off the inning with a walk. Right after him, though, Wilson Ramos grounded into a 5-4-3 double play that killed the threat.
The Mets are chasing a postseason berth. They're at the point where every night is a must-win because of their placement in the standings.
This game was winnable.
In one inning, Seth Lugo hopped off the mound to field a chopper and sprinted toward third base. He then executed a pop-up slide _ something you never see from a pitcher _ and touched the bag with his cleat just before the runner did to complete a play that thwarted a rally (replay review confirmed the bang-bang play).
In the next inning, Lugo loaded the bases with no outs. He allowed a run, but nothing more.
Lugo kept the Mets in the game during his start, as did the three relievers who follow him.
Their teammates just couldn't provide the crucial blow to put the team ahead.
The Mets cannot afford to waste good performances from their pitching staff, which have been rare.
Everything went right for the Mets on Friday. They singled, doubled and homered. They worked counts, frustrating pitchers.
Then, they had one of their games from early in the season.
On Saturday, they went 1 for 11 with runners in scoring position. They left seven men on base.
These figures loom large in a one-run loss.
Lugo allowed three runs over 5 1/3 innings. Chasen Shreve pitched 1/3 of an inning before Miguel Castro went 1 1/3 frames, striking out the side in the seventh. Jeurys Familia followed him with a scoreless eighth.
All night, the offense failed to take advantage.
Rosario, starting only his third game since Sept. 3, led off the fifth inning with a double. The Mets could have broken the tie, but instead stranded him as the next three batters made outs.
In the sixth, with the Mets down a run, Dominic Smith hit a one-out single, but went no further.
Then, the Mets blew another chance to tie it in the ninth.
The fun began in the bottom of the fourth, when replay reviews stopped the game multiple times.
The first came after Lugo allowed an RBI double to Travis Shaw. The ball got wedged under the wall and, though Jake Marisnick fielded it, the Mets challenged that it should instead be a ground-rule double because it got stuck. The Mets won the challenge, and the run came off the board.
If you're a believer in "ball don't lie," you'll like what happened next: Randal Grichuk hit a soft grounder to third baseman J.D. Davis, who did not make a throw to first. The run scored (again) as the Blue Jays tied the game.
Then, Lugo made his sliding play into third base _ the old 1-unassisted at third _ to thwart the rally. The Blue Jays challenged it, but lost.
In the top of the fifth, right after the previous two reviews, Jeff McNeil was hit by a pitch _ or so the umpire called. They took a look and, nope, didn't hit him. McNeil went back to the plate, then flew out.
The three replay reviews in such a short span provided the latest quirk to a strange 2020 season.
In total, there were six (!!) replay reviews on Saturday.
Jake Marisnick smacked a two-out double that scored Michael Conforto and put the Mets on the board in the fourth inning. He has hit well this season, even in a small sample size (he spent time on the injured list).
In the sixth inning, with a runner on base, Nimmo went up to bat for Marisnick. It seemed strange, considering Marisnick had played well.
