Chris Schwinden was not the hero the Mets needed, nor the one that Mets fans deserved.
But he’s the pitcher that New York sent to the mound on Wednesday afternoon. The Mets’ chances of winning —and avoiding a sweep at the hands of the Astros — didn’t last long after he took the hill.
Making his second start in the majors this season, Schwinden was rocked, allowing five earned runs in four innings, including two home runs to Astros third baseman Chris Johnson. Houston tacked on three runs against the New York bullpen and Wandy Rodriguez twirled seven mostly dominant innings as the Astros swept the Mets with an 8-1 getaway day victory.
The game got off to an ominous start for New York. Ruben Tejada led off the game with a double off the scoreboard in left, but got aggressive when left fielder J.D. Martinez plodded after the ball and was thrown out trying to stretch it into a triple. Rodriguez settled in from there.
In the opposing half of the first, Schwinden walked leadoff man Jordan Schafer, but got three ground balls to escape the opening frame without damage. He wouldn’t be so lucky in the second. Back-to-back singles by Jed Lowrie and Brian Bogusevic preceded Johnson, who launched a 2-2 cutter into the stands above the scoreboard in left. The third baseman padded the Astros’ lead in the third when he blasted another homer to left-center. The two-run shot to put Houston in front 5-0.
The Mets scratched across a run in the fourth thanks to David Wright, who walked for the 17th time this season, stole second and scored on a two-out single by Andres Torres (Can we call that a Wright Wrun?). But it was all the offense New York could muster against Rodriguez, who scattered six hits over seven innings. Rodriguez did walk two, but he struck out five and stranded six on the basepaths.
Schwinden, meanwhile, lasted just four frames. He was knocked around for six hits and added to the mess with two walks. Manny Acosta was no better in his stead, allowing three more runs in the fifth inning on five consecutive Houston hits. By the time the smoke had cleared and the game was official, it was well out of New York’s reach.
After Rodriguez’s seven innings, Houston’s bullpen added two scoreless frames to finish it, sending the Mets home unhappy after a 2-4 road trip.
Turning Point: When Schwinden took the mound? If not, it was at the very least that three-run bomb to Johnson in the second inning, which proved Schwinden wasn’t fooling anybody again today.
Game Ball: On a bad day for the Mets, David Wright continued to produce. Wright was 1-for-3 with a triple, a walk and scored the Mets’ only run. He is now hitting .392/.495/.582. Hey Sandy, maybe call his agent?
Next Game: The Mets get Thursday off before opening a quick three-game homestand on Friday night at Citi Field against the Diamondbacks. Dillon Gee (2-2, 4.85 ERA, 1.38 WHIP, 23 K) will oppose surprising Arizona rookie Wade Miley (3-0, 1.29 ERA, 0.81 WHIP, 15 K) on the bump. First pitch is scheduled for 7:10 p.m. and the game can be seen on SNY or heard, as always on WFAN 660 AM.
