It wasn’t just another loss for the Mets – it was another gut punch in a month full of them.
The Brewers, riding a wave of confidence and timely hitting, used a sixth-inning grand slam from Joey Ortiz to break open a close game and hand the reeling Mets a 7-2 loss in the first half of Wednesday’s doubleheader at Citi Field.
Ortiz, who came in batting just .210, jumped all over a 3-1 cutter from Reed Garrett and sent it deep into the left field seats. Just like that, a 2-2 tie turned into a 6-2 Brewers lead. And just like that, the Mets had lost control – again.
Sal Frelick set the tone early with his first career leadoff homer, while Freddy Peralta gave Milwaukee six strong innings, allowing just two hits and striking out six to improve to 9-4. Isaac Collins, another rookie, stole the spotlight too – going 4-for-4 with a homer and a walk in just his eighth big league game.
The Slam That Broke the Mets (Again)
The turning point came fast. After Brice Turang tied the game with a first-pitch RBI double off Garrett, Milwaukee loaded the bases. Ortiz stepped in, got his pitch, and didn’t miss.
The blast was Ortiz’s sixth home run this season and marked just the second grand slam of his career, according to MLB.com. Garrett, who had a 0.68 ERA through June 3, has since seen it balloon to 12.86 over his last nine outings.
The Mets briefly held a lead thanks to Pete Alonso’s RBI single in the fourth, but they didn’t manage another hit after that. In fact, New York’s last 17 batters produced just one baserunner.
Milwaukee, now winners of 11 of its last 13 road games, kept the momentum rolling. In the nightcap, they’ll hand the ball to fireballing rookie Jacob Misiorowski (3-0, 1.13 ERA), while the Mets hope opener Huascar Brazobán and prospect Blade Tidwell can stop the bleeding. But right now, the bleeding’s looking more like a flood.
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