Mets fall on wrong side of pitchers' duel in frustrating 2-1 loss to Astros

The Mets wrapped up their Opening Weekend series on a sour note, falling to the Houston Astros, 2-1, in a rubber game on Saturday night at Daikin Park.

Here are some takeaways…

— In his first at-bat, Juan Soto benefited from Daikin Park’s short left field wall and, well, the Astros’ short left fielder. A towering shot that struck the manual scoreboard resulted in a stand-up double, as Jose Altuve’s leaping attempt to catch the ball was futile. Soto tagged up and advanced to third on a flyout to right from Pete Alonso, but he was ultimately stranded on the corner bag after a Mark Vientos strikeout.

— Griffin Canning, who earned a rotation spot in spring training, didn’t look the least bit fazed by his starting assignment. The leadoff single he allowed to Altuve was a line drive snagged by Vientos deep in the hole, and the long throw to first didn’t arrive in time. But the defense picked up Canning moments later, as catcher Luis Torrens gunned down Altuve trying to steal second after a strikeout of Isaac Paredes.

— Astros starter Spencer Arrighetti locked in after Soto’s one-out double in the first, retiring 13 straight batters with four strikeouts through five innings. Canning matched Arrighetti’s efficiency with one hit allowed — the single to Altuve — and four punch-outs of his own entering the fifth inning, but Houston drew first blood when Jeremy Peña took the Mets’ right-hander deep for a leadoff solo home run to left.

— Jose Siri broke Arrighetti’s streak with a leadoff walk in the sixth, and his speed helped put the Mets on the board. After stealing second base with ease and advancing to third on a Francisco Lindor flyout, Siri aggressively charged home on a comebacker to Arrighetti that caught the Astros’ infield by surprise once the play was made at first. Siri’s bold baserunning helped knot the score, 1-1.

— Houston managed to get the last laugh against Canning in the sixth. With two outs and a runner on first, Yordan Alvarez crushed a 2-2 slider that dented the center-field wall and brought Paredes home. The mistake pitch was Canning’s last, but his Mets debut was strong. He allowed two runs on four hits and two walks with four strikeouts (87 pitches).

— Jose Butto entered in relief of Canning and prevented further damage by striking out Christian Walker. He returned for the seventh inning, retiring the Astros in order on just seven pitches.

— New York squandered a prime opportunity to tie the game against reliever Bryan Abreu in the eighth. Torrens led off the inning with a walk, and then Luisangel Acuña entered as a pinch-runner, successfuly stealing second with nobody out. But luck quickly turned Abreu’s way, as he punched out Brett Baty and Siri, and induced a Lindor groundout. The Mets’ superstar shortstop is now 0-for-11 to start the season.

— Butto ran into trouble in the eighth, allowing a walk and a single that set up runners on the corners with nobody out. While he induced a grounder to third that resulted in a fielder’s choice tag out at home, he loaded the bases with a walk to Paredes. Max Kranick was asked to clean up the mess, and he delivered with a foul out and groundout on five pitches. It was Kranick’s first MLB appearance since 2022.

— The ninth inning began with an intense rematch between Soto and Astros star closer Josh Hader, and this time, Soto reached base by walking on six straight sliders. But there wasn’t a rally in the Mets’ bones. Alonso popped out to shallow right on one pitch. Brandon Nimmo grounded out, pushing Soto to second. The game ended on a line drive from Vientos that found Peña’s glove at short.

— The Mets recorded just one hit — Soto’s first-inning double — and they’ve produced only two knocks since the third inning of Friday’s game. Overall, New York hit 0-for-8 with runners in scoring position and left four on base.

Game MVP: Yordan Alvarez

The clutch hit of the night belonged to the Astros’ star slugger, even though it was his only knock in four at-bats. Call it a confidence-booster for Alvarez, who’s now hitting .125 through three games.

Highlights

Upcoming schedule

With an unsual Sunday off-day to begin the regular season, the Mets (1-2) will return to South Florida for a three-game set against the division-rival Miami Marlins that starts Monday at 6:40 p.m.

David Peterson is scheduled to take the mound and oppose Cal Quantrill on SNY.

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