NEW YORK — The New York Mets hit just about everything that Jake Arrieta had Saturday night and the Phillies suffered their 21st loss in the last 34 games. The final score from Citi Field was 6-5.
Arrieta could not hold an early 3-1 lead and he completely unraveled in the fifth inning.
The Phillies are 46-43 as they head into the final game before the All-Star break on Sunday.
The Phillies are in third place in the NL East, 6½ games behind first-place Atlanta and a half-game behind second-place Washington.
Arrieta’s night
In a word, it was terrible. He allowed 14 base runners in 4 1/3 innings. He gave up 11 hits and hit three batters.
MLB
Two of the hit batsmen came in an eventful fifth inning in which the Mets scored three runs to erase a one-run deficit and take a 6-4 lead.
The fun started with one out when Arrieta hit Todd Frazier with a pitch. Frazier, who was hit by Vince Velasquez on Friday night, was not happy with Arrieta — even though the offending pitch was a changeup and Arrieta was clearly not trying to hit anyone. Both benches were warned, ridiculously, and Frazier was eventually ejected. Arrieta then gave up a double to Dominic Smith on the next pitch before hitting Amed Rosario with another changeup to load the bases.
Mets manager Mickey Callaway wanted Arrieta ejected after hitting Rosario with a 1-2 changeup. The umpires, who got the first warning wrong, got this one right and let Arrieta stay in the game. Callaway was ejected.
Arrieta then gave up a three-run gapper to Tomas Nido as the Mets took the lead.
Continued struggles
Arrieta has a 4.67 ERA in 18 starts this season. His ERA is 6.63 in his last seven starts.
Over his last 27 starts, dating to Aug. 12 when he began a late-season slide in 2018, his ERA is 5.17.
The Phillies thought they were getting more for their three-year, $75 million investment (see story).
Defensive issues
Arrieta allowed a leadoff single in the first, hit a batter and gave up an RBI double to Michael Conforto. Conforto hit it hard right over the first-base bag. Rhys Hoskins was in position to make a play and help Arrieta because he was holding the runner, but the ball got past him.
Extra-base pop
Thursday night in Atlanta, the Phils lost, 12-6. They had 12 hits, but just one for extra bases. The Braves had 12 hits, 10 for extra bases.
The Phillies have slugged more in the first two games in New York. They had five extra-base hits in Friday night’s win and three early in this game. Jay Bruce (two-run shot) and Maikel Franco went deep on Noah Syndergaard in the second inning and Hoskins had and RBI double in the third.
The offense slowed later in the game and the Phils were just 2 for 15 with runners in scoring position for the night. Jean Segura, down 0-2 in the count, battled Seth Lugo for nine pitches before striking out with two men on to end the eighth. That was the Phils’ last best chance.
Up next
The series concludes Sunday afternoon in the final game before the All-Star break. Aaron Nola (7-2, 3.89) pitches against Zack Wheeler (6-5, 4.42).
Nola is on a roll. He has given up just one earned run and 11 hits in 23 innings over his last three starts.
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