The carnival left town and the circus arrived hot on its heels. From fun and festive and knocking down the Phillies to win valuable prizes, to foolish and floundering and getting spritzed by the Marlins, your New York Mets stumbled to a 7-4 loss [1] Thursday night.
Three-run defeat? Seemed like more.
Three errors committed? Seemed like a lot more.
Multiple chances to get back to a lead or tie? Couldn’t have done less with them.
Only one night after the rotation’s cool older brother (in demeanor if not age) Nolan McLean served as ringmaster for a Met jamboree of momentum and vibes, capping off a three-game sweep and picking up three games on first place? Everything going great couldn’t have seemed less recent once the Mets opted to play their version of kickball rather than baseball, kicking the ball hither and yon, allowing five unearned runs. But it really was only a difference of 24 hours between all going right and fundamentals going to hell. Every night is a new story. Recurring similarities are incidental and perhaps accidental.
[2]Already a coming attraction.
Just one game? Yes. It’s always just one game. This team defies trends and trajectories. Best to buckle up for the next just one game. It will feature the major league debut of Jonah Tong. Tong, 22, wasn’t expected in New York this quickly. Based on performance and need, it appears he won’t take the mound a moment too soon.
Throw a tent over the last one. Clear the field for the next one. Back to fun. Back to festive. Back to baseball rather than kickball.