Splitting a series was the worst the Mets had done before the Mariners came to town for three games.
The Mets had not lost a series all season, but that streak sailed when the Seattle Mariners closed out a teeter-totter affair Sunday. Seattle outslugged New York in the rubber match of a three-game set at Citi Field, winning, 8-7. The Mets had multiple chances to keep their streak alive, as a mammoth home run from Francisco Lindor gave New York a 1-0 edge in the first inning. J.D. Davis and Brandon Nimmo each plated two with triples in the fourth, and a near ninth-inning comeback had the Queens crowd in a frenzy. But Pete Alonso went a smidgen too far on a two-out, two-strike checked-swing attempt against the Mariners’ right-handed reliever Diego Castillo, and the game ended with the bases loaded.
“Sometimes, even though it stinks, you just have to tip your cap,” Alonso said after the game. “He executed extremely well, and he beat me. Simple as that.”
Seattle, meanwhile, got the best of the right-hander Carlos Carrasco, who struggled to control his slider. He lasted four and one-third innings and allowed eight hits, four earned runs and one walk. He struck out two. While Carrasco ultimately departed with a 5-4 lead, the Mariners’ Mike Ford tagged him for a two-run single in the fourth. Julio Rodríguez, a rookie sensation, then hit a game-tying solo shot off the left-hander Chasen Shreve (1-1) in the sixth inning. Seattle catcher Cal Raleigh proceeded to take the right-hander Drew Smith deep, crushing a two-run, 435-foot shot to right field to make it 7-5. The Mariners tacked on their final, decisive run in the seventh when Jesse Winker, a longtime nuisance to the Mets and their fans, doubled. Rodríguez singled him home.
“That’s a good team over there.
