Mets rally to tie it in 9th, but Royals spoil Sean Manaea's return with walk-off
Jeff McNeil of the Mets scores against the Kansas City Royals in the ninth inning at Kauffman Stadium on Sunday in Kansas City, Mo. Credit: Getty Images/Ed Zurga
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — On first read, the Mets’ 3-2 walk-off loss to the Royals was a pretty dispiriting way to end the first half.
When Nick Loftin’s RBI single found the grass in leftfield with one out in the ninth inning, Sean Manaea could only slump his shoulders, then stalk to the visitors’ dugout as the Royals began their celebratory swarm.
But baseball is about the big picture, and the All-Star break is as good a time as any to make large-scale assessments, so by that value, Sunday wasn’t a complete disaster.
First, the bad news: The lineup continues to be inconsistent, and although the Mets took two of three from the Royals this weekend, their offense truly sparked to life only once, in the last two innings of Friday’s comeback win.
They were held scoreless for the first eight innings Sunday and trailed 2-0 going into the ninth, when manager Carlos Mendoza sent a troupe of pinch-hitting lefties up against closer Carlos Estevez. The moves resulted in an RBI triple by Jeff McNeil and a tying sacrifice fly by Jared Young.
But Tyler Tolbert singled with one out in the bottom of the frame, stole second and scored on Loftin’s single.
And now, the good: Manaea, making his season debut after being sidelined with an oblique injury and the later discovery of loose bodies in his elbow, showcased pinpoint control with his fastball and a wipeout slider that, at one point, allowed him to retire five straight Royals via strikeout.
The Mets (55-42) are only a half-game behind the Phillies (55-41) for first place in the NL East. And when play resumes on Friday, the rotation will be nearly intact, except for Tylor Megill, who’s likely looking at a late August return.
Manaea, who will be a fresh, valuable arm for the second half, allowed one run and five hits in 3 1⁄3 innings in relief of Clay Holmes. He struck out seven and walked none.
“Typical Sean Manaea,” Mendoza said. “The fastball playing at the top of the zone, getting swings and misses, and we saw that the whole year [last year] and it was good to see it again today — attacking, throwing strikes, and when those pitches are going, especially from that [low arm] slot, it’s pretty effective.”
The Mets’ bats, which were toothless for eight innings, finally stirred to life in the ninth. Ronny Mauricio led off with a double off Estevez and McNeil lasered a ball to the warning track in right-center. It would have been a tough play regardless, but centerfielder Kyle Isbel collided with the wall, giving McNeil a run-scoring triple. After Brett Baty grounded out to first with the infield in, with McNeil holding at third, Young hit a sacrifice fly to center to tie it.
Otherwise, the Mets were 1-for-7 with runners in scoring position and left eight men on.
“We’ve been through stretches where it’s hard for us” offensively, Mendoza said. “But then we’ve been through stretches where the offense is clicking. It’s part of the season. We’ve got good hitters. We’ve got to give these guys [on the Royals] credit, too. They’ve got a good pitching staff there.”
The Royals hit Holmes hard from the onset but scored only in the second. Maikel Garcia led off that inning with a double and Salvador Perez was hit with a pitch. Luisangel Acuna then made a diving stop on a ball hit to his left by Jac Caglianone, potentially saving a run. John Rave, however, rocketed a two-run double down the rightfield line to give the Royals a 2-0 lead.
Holmes allowed two runs and five hits in five innings, struck out two and walked one.
Manaea, who allowed a leadoff single by Bobby Witt Jr. in the sixth, got Vinnie Pasquantino to ground out before striking out the next five batters.
“It’s really good to be back,” said Manaea, who emerged as the de facto ace last year when the Mets were without Kodai Senga. “I felt great out there, so I feel like if I can just continue to do that, I’ll have a successful second half.”
Notes & quotes: Max Kranick, who went on the injured list last month with a flexor strain in his right elbow, will be consulting with orthopedic surgeon Keith Meister this week; Tommy John surgery is a possibility, Mendoza said. This would be Kranick’s second Tommy John procedure, the last one coming in 2022. In 24 games with the Mets this year, Kranick had a 3.65 ERA in 37 innings, striking out 25 and walking five. The news comes a day after Mendoza announced that fellow reliever Dedniel Nunez will have his second Tommy John surgery this week . . . Reliever Jose Butto (illness) will make a rehab appearance Tuesday; he could rejoin the team as soon as Friday, the first game after the All-Star break.
Laura Albanese is a reporter, feature writer and columnist covering local professional sports teams; she began at Newsday in 2007 as an intern.
