The Mets were defeated by the Washington Nationals 5-4 as they continued Grapefruit League action on Friday night at CACTI Park of the Palm Beaches.
Here are some takeaways…
– Paul Blackburn was knocked around for the second straight start. The right-hander worked around baserunners in each of his first two innings, but Washington struck in the third when CJ Abrams cracked an opposite-field solo shot and James Wood crushed a two-run homer.
Blackburn’s night came to an end after he allowed a fourth straight baserunner to reach on a Nathaniel Lowe single. He now has a rough 11.57 ERA and 2.57 WHIP through three spring appearances after giving up three runs on five hits and two walks over just 2.1 innings of work on Friday.
– Max Kranick entered in relief of Blackburn, and after a wild pitch pushed Lowe into scoring position, he struck out the next two batters he faced. He allowed a leadoff double in the fourth, but again settled in nicely and retired the next three batters to strand him there. The 27-year-old still hasn’t allowed a run through four spring outings.
– The Mets were able to get to old friend Jorge Lopez in the top of the fifth. With runners on first and second and one out, Francisco Alvarez lined an RBI single right back up the middle to make it a one-run ballgame. Alvarez reached base twice on the night, singling and drawing a walk.
– Francisco Lindor was also on base twice, with a single and walk of his own out of the leadoff spot.
– Jose Azocar has quietly been enjoying himself a pretty strong spring at the plate, and he continued that in this one. The 28-year-old outfielder picked up two more hits, including an RBI single that brought home Alexander Canario, who cracked a double to deep left-center.
– Brett Baty also kept his strong spring going, bringing in a pair of runs on a Wood misplayed line drive in shallow left. He was subbed in at second base during the later innings as the Mets look to continue building on his versatility ahead of the regular season.
– Jose Butto bounced back from his rough outing the last time out with a 1-2-3 bottom of the seventh.
– 2024 first-round pick Carson Benge was subbed in during the later innings, and he didn’t receive an at-bat but did play the last two frames in center. The 22-year-old was recently named the organization’s fifth-best prospect heading into this season by SNY’s Joe DeMayo.
Highlights
Upcoming schedule
David Peterson makes his second spring start as the Mets head to Jupiter to take on the Marlins on Saturday at 6:40 p.m.
