The Bullpen Breaks Down Again
Dedniel Núñez was supposed to be the fix. He was a key piece for two seasons before the elbow surgery. Now his return has hit another ugly bump. The Mets lost to the Braves on Wednesday night with a 6-3 score. Núñez entered in the seventh inning with the team down by one run. He allowed three runs and two home runs while retiring just one batter. According to reports, this difficult performance contributed to the Mets losing the series. This volatility is exactly what fans feared after the trade deadline deals.
The bullpen is a mess right now. Luke Weaver, Huascar Brazobán, A.J. Minter, and Brooks Raley all got sent elsewhere. Devin Williams has been placed on the injured list due to a right shoulder strain. Núñez had big showings in Cleveland and Pittsburgh before this. He even had an impressive opener at Truist Park earlier in the week. Those flashes gave the Mets hope for a third straight series win. No such luck happened on this night. The team was shut out Monday and lost in Pittsburgh on Saturday. They averaged 8.Although they scored only 3 runs during six wins on the trip, they did not place a runner in scoring position until the ninth inning here.
Zac Thornton Gets Crushed Too
The starter did not have a clean night either. Zac Thornton was respectable on the surface but gave up the game’s first run. Thornton surrendered a home run to Lane Thomas with two outs during the second inning. A high cutter from Lane Thomas cleared the left field fence to result in a home run. This marked the third home run Thornton has yielded during his last four starts. The rookie lefty has a 2.Despite a 78 ERA, he threw at least six innings in five of his last seven starts. The advanced analytics say he is due for a fall. His xERA sits at 4.63 compared to his currently sparkling 2.52.
The hard-hit rate is a massive 39.8 percent. The average exit velocity of 89.3 MPH suggests he is getting lucky. The New York Post noted that asking him to keep these results is unrealistic. The Mets were shut out earlier in the series and now they are struggling to score. Three solo homers accounted for their runs in this game. Carson Benge doubled in the ninth, but that was the first time a runner got into scoring position. The Braves took a 3-0 lead in the fifth after Acuña’s RBI single. Thornton’s inning might have deteriorated further after giving up a leadoff single to Austin Riley.
The Work Does Not Match The Hype
I respect the effort, but the results are not there. Núñez is back from Tommy John surgery and he looks shaky. The work he put in during rehab might not be translating to game speed. You can see the volatility in the bullpen right now. It is not just one bad night; it is a pattern of failure. The trade deadline moves left holes that are hard to fill. Devin Williams cannot pitch, and Núñez is giving up free runs.
The stats do not lie about the rookie starter either. Thornton has been good, but the underlying numbers scream regression. The xERA difference is too wide to ignore. He is facing a Braves lineup that knows how to hit. The Mets are third in baseball in runs scored since August 1, but they cannot get runners home here. The defense also made mistakes that cost them. Acuña was thrown out trying to reach second, but the damage was already done. The Mets need more than hope to win this division. They need pitchers who can get outs in high leverage spots. The current group is failing that test.
The next game will determine if this is a slump or a trend. Tyler Mahle takes the mound for the Braves after his best start of the season. He threw six shutout innings against the Yankees with nine strikeouts. The Mets are underdogs at +125 for this matchup. The over is a fruitful wager considering the Mets offense. Fanatics currently has over 7.5 total runs coming in at -150. The line might move to eight runs if the market shifts. The team must fix the pitching or they will lose more games.
