Mets can't overcome Matz's ugly 1st frame

PHILADELPHIA -- Billed as one of the game’s best rotations, the Mets have offered little evidence of it more than 10 percent of the way through the season. When Steven Matz allowed eight runs (six earned) without recording an out Tuesday in the Mets’ 14-3 loss to the Phillies, he bumped New York’s rotation ERA to 5.62 in 17 games. That is second-worst in the National League.

“I’m not worried about it,” Mets manager Mickey Callaway said. “These guys will bounce back. They’re great pitchers and they’ll start getting it done.”

All five starters have been culpable, from Jacob deGrom -- nine runs in his last nine innings -- to Noah Syndergaard, Zack Wheeler and, lest anyone forget, Jason Vargas. Tuesday, it was Matz’s turn to deliver what was statistically the worst performance of his career.

His outing began with an Amed Rosario fumbled grounder to open the first inning at Citizens Bank Park. Matz allowed a double to the next batter, then hit Bryce Harper on the wrist with a pitch, before serving up the two most significant blows of his outing: a J.T. Realmuto two-run double and a Scott Kingery three-run homer.

Matz’s meltdown was not yet complete; he walked the next batter, endured another Rosario error and compounded it all with an elevated changeup to Maikel Franco, who bashed it over the fence for a second three-run homer of the frame. At that point, mercy came in the form of Callaway trudging to the mound to retrieve his starting pitcher.

In less than 15 minutes, Matz’s ERA more than tripled from 1.65 to 4.96. He became the 20th Mets starter to fail to record an out in a game, and the first since Jeremy Hefner in a 16-1 loss to the Phillies in 2012.

“I’ve been here before,” Matz said. “So at this point, I know I can come out of it. It’s not going to define me or define the season or anything. We’ve just got to wash it and move forward.”

Over his first three starts, Matz believed he had built a new foundation, relying more than ever on his changeup and less on his breaking pitches. He worked with the Mets’ mental skills advisor, Trevor Moawad, on a concept called neutral thinking -- not thinking positively or negatively, but instead focusing solely on the steps he needed to take to succeed.

In that fashion, Matz hoped to avoid one of the bugaboos of his career: his sporadic unravelings within starts. Relatively frequently in the past, Matz has suffered meltdowns on the mound, typically without warning. Seven runs in the second inning of his 2016 season debut. Six runs in the fifth later that year in Atlanta. Seven in the first last July in Washington. Since his rookie season, Matz has allowed at least seven runs on six occasions, more than any other Met over the same span.

Tuesday proved that Matz is still prone to it. Neither he nor Callaway offered much of a diagnosis outside of poor execution throughout his evening.

“These happen from time to time,” Callaway said. “Not very often. These are rough ones. He’ll regroup, come back out next time and get after it.”

What a relief

The Mets at least found some solace in two relievers, Drew Gagnon and Paul Sewald, who combined to save the bullpen with eight innings of relief. Gagnon did the heaviest lifting with 5 1/3 innings, throwing 97 pitches on three days’ rest following a start for Triple-A Syracuse.

“That’s the job, to come in and be a long guy,” Gagnon said. “I knew that was my role coming up. You’ve got to be ready from the get-go. You don’t know what can happen.”

Gagnon’s reward for the effort will likely be a demotion back to Triple-A Syracuse. Callaway indicated he and his staff will discuss the possibility of flying a fresh arm to Philadelphia in time for Wednesday’s finale.

“Drew Gagnon and Paul Sewald should be commended,” Callaway said. “They did their best, and saved us, and probably helped us win a game in the next few days. It was unbelievable.”