Jun 29, 2022; New York City, New York, USA; Houston Astros catcher Jason Castro (18) celebrates his two run home run against the New York Mets with first baseman Yuli Gurriel (10) during the ninth inning at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
MLB: Houston Astros at New York Mets
Yesterday the Mets got swept by the Astros for a second straight week, but this time it was at home where they have a solid record of 24-12 this season. Taijuan Walker pitched great for the Mets yesterday afternoon striking out three and only giving four hits over 7 and 1/3 scoreless innings, but Hall of Famer Justin Verlander did even better for the Astros only giving up two hits and striking out six over 8 scoreless innings pitched. Catcher Jason Castro who was batting .095 coming into the day hit a huge home run in the ninth inning off Drew Smith to propel the Astros to a 2-0 win and sweep of the Mets. This home run by Castro got Verlander his 10th win of the season. What Verlander is doing in his age 39 season is nothing short of remarkable. He is the first pitcher to 10 wins and now has a 2.03 ERA.
As for the Mets this is their first three game losing streak of the season. The Mets now lead the NL East by just three games after the Braves won their second in a row vs the Phillies. The good news for the Mets is that they are playing a couple teams that are well under .500 in the Texas Rangers, Cincinnati Reds, and Miami Marlins again. This is where the Mets can make up some ground in the division and extend their current lead of three games. Another silver lining for the Mets is that Max Scherzer had a successful rehab start with the Binghamton Rumble Ponies and hopes to come back in five days time when the Mets play the Reds on the road on July 4th. In the past couple of games New York has struggled with runners in scoring position which is surprising since they had been doing so well previously in those spots. The Mets will look to right the ship and snap their three-game losing streak tomorrow at home against the Rangers with Chris Bassitt who has pitched well at home this year on the mound. Bassitt has a 3.21 ERA this year at home. We’ll see if he can turn in another solid performance at home and propel the Mets to a win.
