NEW YORK — Devin Williams struck out Starling Marte to strand the bases loaded in the ninth inning and the Milwaukee Brewers hung on for a 3-2 victory over the Mets on Thursday night, dropping New York a season-high nine games under .500 at the halfway point.
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The $355 million Mets are 36-45 and have lost 18 of 24. New York hasn’t won a series since sweeping Philadelphia from May 30 through June 1 and have lost two in a row since owner Steve Cohen said manager Buck Showalter and general manager Billy Eppler were not in danger of losing their jobs. New York is nine games under .500 for the first time since Sept. 26, 2021.
“I felt like we were in it the entire time,” said shortstop Francisco Lindor, who struck out twice and was 0 for 4. “We had a couple of chances to win the game. When you lose games by one you can’t just focus on the big picture of like the last inning. That at-bat, Marte there, he’s one of the best closers in the game. You start trying to figure out things that happen throughout the game.”
Last year the Mets reached the halfway mark at 51-30 before losing the NL East by getting swept in a three-game series at Atlanta on the final weekend.
Williams loaded the bases when he walked Brandon Nimmo. He struck out Marte with three straight changeups — two of them out of the strike zone — for his third save of the series and 16th in 17 chances this season.
“Williams is good and when you got a guy whose changeup is the out pitch, any over aggressiveness plays right into his hand,” Showalter said.
Williams had his 27th scoreless appearance and finished off Milwaukee’s sixth win in seven games against the Mets. He needed just 19 pitches in his first two saves of the series on Monday and Wednesday.
“The situation never changes his execution level, and he feels like he’s in control of the inning and always doing what he wants to do and picking where he wants to be aggressive, where he wants to be careful and that’s just so impressive,” Milwaukee manager Craig Counsell said.
Marte also hit the with bases loaded in the seventh and grounded into an inning-ending double play against Elvis Peguero.
“We need a swinging bunt in that situation, a wild pitch, a break that kind of goes our way,” Showalter said. “Right now we’re pretty snake-bitten with it but keep thinking tomorrow is the day that we get some footing.”
Victor Caratini hit a tying, two-run homer off Max Scherzer — a former La Crosse Loggers pitcher — in the sixth inning and Brian Anderson hit a go-ahead sacrifice fly against Dominic Leone in the seventh. The Brewers won for the ninth time in 13 games and reached the halfway point at 43-38.
“We’re in this thing and that’s what you want to be,” Counsell said. “You want to be right in it. You want to give yourselves a shot and there’s no question we’ve done that.”
Caratini had two of Milwaukee’s seven hits off Scherzer and is 10 for 20 against the 38-year-old, who allowed two runs and struck out nine in six innings.
“Any time you lose by one, you always look at what could you have done to prevent one extra run from scoring and you’re always going to look at yourself what you could have done,” Scherzer said. “It’s unfortunate that homer really kind of flipped the game a little bit.”
After Caratini hit his fourth homer, the Brewers went ahead against T.J. McFarland (0-1) and Leone.
William Contreras batted for Jesse Winker and hit an infield single, and McFarland grazed Willy Adames on the top of the right foot. After pinch-hitter Owen Miller legged out an infield single by beating shortstop Francisco Lindor’s throw, Anderson lifted a 375-foot fly ball to the warning track in center.
Brett Baty and Nimmo hit back-to-back homers in the third off Adrian Houser (3-2), who allowed two runs and seven hits in six innings in his first start since June 9.
FRUSTRATED
Scherzer appeared annoyed at plate umpire Ron Kulpa during a check for sticky substances after the fourth. Scherzer engaged in a lengthy conversation with Kulpa and shook his head five times after reaching the dugout.
Afterward Scherzer said the discussion was over the PitchCom device.
“I don’t know if this was the Brewers saying it but Ron was saying that when I’m on the mound in the stretch if I come and push the button while I’m on the mound, technically I’m coming set,” Scherzer said. “I’m stopping. Whatever.”
Scherzer said he has been pressing the button in the set position all season.
UP NEXT
Brewers: RHP Freddy Peralta (5-7, 4.88 ERA) opposes Oswaldo Bido (0-1, 3.45) in the opener of a three-game series in Pittsburgh on Friday.
Mets: RHP Carlos Carrasco (2-3, 6.19) opposes San Francisco RHP Alex Cobb (5-2, 3.09) Friday night in the opener of New York’s final home series before the All-Star break.
TOP PHOTO: New York Mets starting pitcher Max Scherzer waits as Milwaukee Brewers’ Victor Caratini runs the bases after hitting a two-run home run during the sixth inning of a baseball game Thursday, June 29, 2023, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)