BALTIMORE — Prior to Sunday’s game at Camden Yards, manager Buck Showalter was discussing all the issues going on with the Mets and said, “What is it they say? The things that don’t kill you…”
When told the rest of the phrase was “make you stronger,” Showalter chuckled and said, “We’ll find out if that’s true, right?”
Then the Mets went out and took another step closer to flatlining, with a 2-0 loss to the Orioles, as their spiral since the trade deadline selloff continued, swept for a second straight series.
They’ve now lost six in a row and seven of eight to fall a season-worst 11 games under .500.
It’s the most games they’ve sunk below the .500 mark since July 2019.
Using a lineup that was without Brandon Nimmo, Starling Marte and Francisco Alvarez, they failed to score more than three runs for a fifth consecutive game.
They wasted another solid start from Jose Quintana, who allowed two runs in six-plus innings, but got no support and was hurt by some shaky plays in the field behind him.
The offense didn’t get much going early against Kyle Bradish and then had Pete Alonso hit into inning-ending double plays in the first and third.
Quintana faced trouble in the third, as he loaded the bases with two outs — allowing two walks and a single — but he got Gunnar Henderson to pop to left to end the threat and keep the game scoreless.
The Mets loaded the bases in the fifth against Bradish, also with two out.
Jeff McNeil walked, Francisco Lindor singled and Alonso walked.
Cionel Perez replaced Bradish and got DJ Stewart to ground out.
Rafael Ortega misplayed a liner to center by Jorge Mateo into a triple with one out in the bottom of the inning and scored on Adley Rutschman’s grounder to third that Mark Vientos failed to handle cleanly.
Quintana opened the bottom of the seventh by giving up a leadoff double to James McCann and a single to right by Ryan McKenna, leaving with runners on the corners and no outs.
Trevor Gott entered and got pinch-hitter Ryan O’Hearn to hit a grounder that scored McCann for a 2-0 Baltimore lead.
The Mets’ offense finished with just four hits.
They’ll return to Citi Field on Monday for the first time since the underperforming roster was gutted at the deadline, with a series against the surging Cubs followed by a visit from first-place Atlanta.
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