The New York Mets saw their three-game winning streak come to a heartbreaking end today, falling 6-2 to the Colorado Rockies after a late-inning collapse. Despite jumping out to an early 2-0 lead behind a solid start from Christian Scott, the Mets couldn't hold on, as reliever Craig Kimbrel surrendered a devastating grand slam in the bottom of the eighth inning.
The Mets struck first in the top of the second, plating two quick runs. Andy Ibanez opened the scoring with a sacrifice fly, and Tyrone Taylor followed with an RBI single to bring home Marcus Semien, who had walked earlier in the inning. The Mets had a chance to add more when Juan Soto ripped a triple, but Mark Vientos grounded into a double play, stranding Soto at third base.
Christian Scott was the bright spot for New York, tossing three shutout innings to start the game. However, the Rockies finally got to him in the fourth when Willi Castro delivered an RBI single after Tyler Freeman dropped a perfect bunt single and advanced to third. That cut the Mets' lead to 2-1, and Scott began to fade in the fifth, exiting after 4⅔ innings with just one run allowed. Huascar Brazoban took over and kept the game close, but Colorado tied it in the sixth. Brazoban walked two batters, and Jake McCarthy hustled out a double into shallow center field, knotting the score at 2-2.
The game remained deadlocked until the eighth inning, when the Mets' short bullpen forced them to turn to Craig Kimbrel. The veteran reliever immediately ran into trouble, allowing singles to TJ Rumfield and Troy Johnston to put runners on the corners. Kimbrel then walked Willi Castro to load the bases with nobody out, setting the stage for disaster. Jake McCarthy crushed a grand slam down the right-field line, giving the Rockies a commanding 6-2 lead and sealing the Mets' fate.
To make matters worse, the Mets' lack of available challenges proved costly, as Kimbrel nearly struck out Castro earlier in the at-bat. It was a tough loss for a team that had been building momentum, but they'll look to bounce back in the next game.