Mets waste Jose Quintana’s gem in loss to Rangers
Jose Quintana got off to a late start this season due to March rib surgery, but the veteran lefty continues to show why the Mets will be counting on him for 2024.
Quintana, who is signed for next season for the same $13 million he is making this year, tossed six scoreless innings before the Mets’ patchwork bullpen faltered again late in a 2-1 loss to the Rangers at Citi Field.
“It was a great battle, and they are really good. … Every inning I kept pushing,” Quintana said. “This was the first time I missed so long of a season, and hopefully I can continue throwing the ball well.
“We don’t have the time to see what [would have] happened if I started from Day 1, but I want to keep going and pitch well.”
Rangers lefty Andrew Heaney also posted zeroes through 5 ¹/₃ innings, and Texas went ahead on a leadoff homer by Mitch Garver — the first batter faced by Drew Smith after Quintana departed a scoreless game — in the seventh. Trevor Gott had given up two runs in the ninth to similarly spoil a strong start by Tylor Megill on Monday night.
Quintana allowed three hits with three walks and five strikeouts over 96 pitches to lower his ERA to 3.26 through eight starts. The 34-year-old lefty also has greatly impacted his teammates in the clubhouse since returning from the IL in late July, according to manager Buck Showalter.
“Behind the scenes, I know y’all don’t see it a lot, but Q is one of those EF Hutton guys when he speaks,” Showalter said. “Because he doesn’t go around popping his gums all the time, so when he does say something you can see guys get drawn to him.”
The game also marked the 21st straight appearance without a home run for the slumping rookie catcher Francisco Alvarez since he’d ripped his 21st of the season on the first day of August against the Royals.
The 21-year-old Alvarez had belted 20 of his 21 homers during a 61-game span from May 9 through Aug, 1, but he is now batting .143 (10-for-70) for the month with the one home run and five RBIs in 81 plate appearances.
“It’s kind of like your kids, you don’t want to see them go through things,” Showalter said. “But you know it’s good for them in the long run, if they’ve got the other part of it, which I think he does have.
“It’s hard right now, when you’re so good at something for most of your career and then you kind of hit some failure here. But it’s not going to break him. This guy is gonna learn from it. He’s gonna be better as a result.”
The Rangers added another run against Phil Bickford on Ezequiel Duran’s RBI single in the ninth, and Mark Vientos at least got the Mets on the board with a solo homer off Aroldis Chapman in the inning’s bottom half.
