The Mets blew a commanding 4-0 lead on Friday night, giving up six unanswered runs to the Chicago White Sox and losing the series opener in walk-off fashion, 6-4. That’s a tough pill to swallow, especially when you think you’ve got the game locked down.
Manaea’s Rollercoaster Night Ends In Disaster
Sean Manaea’s outing started like a dream. He was cruising through the first five innings, baffling the White Sox lineup, allowing just two hits and a walk while fanning four batters. He even escaped a sticky situation in the fifth, his first jam of the night, by striking out Brenton Doyle with runners on second and third. Talk about clutch! But here’s the thing, he was living dangerously, with a bunch of flyouts dying at the warning track thanks to the wind blowing in. It felt like a ticking time bomb, and boy, did it ever explode.
Disaster struck hard in the sixth. Manaea retired the first batter, which felt like a good sign. Then, a walk to Munetaka Murakami, but it wasn’t a clean walk either. It came after an initial strikeout that was challenged and overturned on ABS. Ouch. That’s a momentum killer right there. And then, BOOM! Miguel Vargas, who already had a double off Manaea, absolutely obliterated a two-run shot. Just like that, the lead was cut in half. But the pain didn’t stop there. Randal Grichuk followed with a solo shot to center, then Colson Montgomery completed the trifecta, a bomb to right field that tied the game. Three back-to-back-to-back homers! Manaea managed to limit the damage after that, getting out of the inning to finish six, but you know he was furious with himself after that colossal meltdown.
Offense Showed Up, Bullpen Falters Late
Before Manaea’s unraveling, the Mets offense was doing its job. Marcus Semien got them on the board first in the second inning with an RBI single, bringing Carson Benge home who had singled to lead off. Two more runs came in the fourth when Brett Baty laced a two-run double down the right field line, putting the Mets up 3-0 after a misplay by Doyle in center. Baty and Semien were locked in, combining for 4-for-8 with three RBI from the seven and eight spots in the lineup. Bo Bichette added to the lead in the fifth with his 13th solo home run of the season, just clearing Grichuk’s reach in left. They built that 4-0 lead, only to watch it vanish.
Out of the bullpen, Nate Lavender and Daniel Duarte looked sharp, both delivering scoreless outings and continuing to impress. But when Jefrey Yan came in for the ninth, things went sideways fast. He walked the leadoff batter, and then, with two outs, Jake Rogers delivered the final blow: a walk-off two-run home run to complete the White Sox comeback. The struggles continued for the top of the lineup too, with A.J. Ewing and Francisco Lindor going a combined 0-for-8, and Francisco Alvarez striking out three times in an 0-for-4 performance. You gotta have your top guys producing, especially in a close game like that.
This one stings, no doubt about it. Losing the series opener in that fashion, after building a solid lead, is a tough way to kick off a weekend. The Mets have to find a way to flush this and come out swinging in the next game against the White Sox. How they respond will tell us a lot.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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