Patrick Corbin threw a 90.5 mph 1-0 sinker up the middle to Brandon Nimmo in the bottom of the first inning last night. New York Mets‘The outfielder hit the ball 440 feet, 110.5 miles per hour, into right field at Citi Field.
It was the only run Corbin allowed in the Nationals’ second of three games in Flushing, Queens, but things took an unexpected turn for the left-hander in the bottom of the sixth inning.
J.D. Martinez hit the first pitch, a fastball, to left for a hit high and inside. Pete Alonso hit a 1-2 sinker high in the zone into right field, and Mark Vientos doubled off an 0-2 pitch to add a run and tie the game at 2-2. That was it for Corbin.
Derek Law came to the mound with a runner on second and no outs, walked the first batter he faced and then allowed a two-run single to put the Mets ahead 4-2, 5-2, but Law ended the inning and the Mets ultimately lost the game 6-2.
Corbin threw 73 pitches, threw 50 strikes, allowed eight hits, one walk and four earned runs, but finished the night with eight strikeouts and 13 strikeouts while striking out five.
“Corbin was really good,” Mets manager Davey Martinez told reporters during the post-game press conference at Mets home stadium.
“He threw 65 pitches. [sixth] “After the innings he was in good form all around. When he kept the ball low he was really good. When he pitched the ball high he got hit.”
“I thought they had some good at-bats,” Corbin said of the Mets’ rally in the bottom of the sixth.
“I pitched well. They were swinging well. I had a little bit of trouble, but looking back I think there were a few things I could have done differently. But overall I felt pretty good. I did a good job getting strikes, getting some easy outs with my outside curveballs. [catcher] Caibert [Ruiz] So you mix it up there, you throw them off balance, and I really think that apart from Nemo’s home run, [which] “It was right down the middle. I thought the rest of the time it was pretty good. But in the sixth inning I might have thrown a different pitch depending on the situation, but we’ll see.”
Martinez also said he needed to take another closer look at Corbin’s start to see what went wrong.
“I went back and looked and they were all up,” he said. “I don’t know if he was doing it on purpose or not, but he put the ball up and as soon as he got the ball up he got hit.”
According to the scouting report, Corbin said he was looking to improve at times.
“Alonso, we all know where I’m going to throw it, but I think what I was trying to throw was probably a little bit outside than I would have liked,” he said.
“Sometimes you try to get up to bat, but on that occasion, like I said, they took a good swing and I didn’t get the out.”
Corbin’s tough innings wasn’t the only reason for the team’s two straight losses to the Mets.
“The problem is… five hits, two runs. That’s the big thing,” Martinez said of his team’s lack of offensive power. “We have to hit. We have to score. Yesterday we scored late. Today, [Mets’ starter Luis] Severino had a few at-bats and then none again, so we have to put pressure on the other team.
“Like I said before, when the bullpen comes in and they’re trying really hard to save the game, our offense has to carry them. They have to carry them.”
