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New York Mets: Insult added to Familia’s injury as they are swept by Brewers

By Alexander Evans

May 10, 2017; New York City, NY, USA; New York Mets relief pitcher Jeurys Familia (27) reacts after allowing four runs in the ninth inning against the San Francisco Giants at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
May 10, 2017; New York City, NY, USA; New York Mets relief pitcher Jeurys Familia (27) reacts after allowing four runs in the ninth inning against the San Francisco Giants at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports /
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The injury bug has hit the New York Mets once again, as closer Jeurys Familia is the latest to go to the disabled list.

The New York Mets had a 7-1 lead against the Milwaukee Brewers Sunday afternoon after five innings, and looked like they were going to be able to avoid a sweep at Miller Park. That was not to be the case, however, as the surging Brewers scored 10 runs in the final three innings of the game to complete the sweep against a Mets team that looks flat out tired and done with this season.

This series has to especially sting after losing closer Jeurys Familia for what is likely the entire season, as he probably would have been able to stop the bleeding and preserve his team’s lead in the final innings. It added insult to injury for a team struggling just to get by, and by all accounts this series may have been the one that the Mets can’t recover from.

The loss highlighted what has become a strange narrative for the Mets so far this season. Even without Yoenis Cespedes, they’ve been able to score runs and have the sixth-most runs in the National League with 184. Starting pitching has been questionable, but the Mets were able to get a nice start from Jacob DeGrom yesterday, who gave up four runs in six innings but was still able to keep his team ahead when he exited the game.

Yesterday’s outcome falls entirely on the shoulders of a mediocre-at-best bullpen without Familia, making the phrase ‘insult to injury’ appropriate to use for this team.

Addison Reed, who’s filling in as the team’s closer while Familia is unable to pitch, gave the Brewers the lead after he served up a three-run blast to Manny Pina in the eighth inning. Reed wasn’t the only Met reliever to have a bad day on the mound, as Jerry Blevins gave up a two-run shot to Jonathan Villar and Fernando Salas an RBI double to Jesus Aguilar.

For the better part of the last two weeks, the Mets looked like they could at least stay afloat in their division, trailing the red-hot Washington Nationals by just 5.5 games at one point. But after a tumultuous past few days that highlighted just how shaky and uncertain their bullpen is, the Mets are in serious trouble.

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Familia is the straw that broke the camels back at this point, and with a starting rotation that hasn’t even averaged five innings per start all season, his loss appears to be an early-season death knell for the Amazins’.

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