BALTIMORE — The Mets squandered another lead for the second time in one day.
After a strong start, leading 2-0 with Brandon Waddell escaping a bases-loaded situation, Baltimore’s Alex Jackson hit an RBI double in his first season at-bat. 2024 All-Star Jordan Westburg followed with a 413-foot homer, giving the Orioles a lead they wouldn’t lose.
Baltimore scored four more runs off the Mets’ bullpen, defeating New York 7-3 at Camden Yards, sweeping a doubleheader and claiming the series. The Mets, now 1-5 in doubleheaders, fall below .500 in interleague play for 2025.
Westburg’s homer was Baltimore’s second go-ahead shot of the day, following Gunnar Henderson’s pinch-hit homer in the eighth inning of the first game.
New York (53-41) started Thursday with the fewest home runs allowed this season. However, that advantage has weakened in July, with the Mets having surrendered 17 home runs, trailing only the Yankees.
Injuries among starting pitchers have affected New York. Sean Manaea, who went 12-6 last season with a 3.47 ERA, remains sidelined with a strained oblique. Kodai Senga, who began the season 7-3 with a 1.47 ERA, hasn’t played since June 12 due to a hamstring injury.
The Mets were 45-24 when Senga was injured and have since gone 8-16. Both Senga and Manaea are expected to return this weekend in Kansas City, offering a nearly healthy rotation before the All-Star break.
Tylor Megill, who shone in April but faced struggles in the following months, was moved to the 60-day injured list because of elbow inflammation. Paul Blackburn has been out with a right shoulder impingement since late June after a 7.71 ERA over six outings.
With a fully healthy roster, neither Megill nor Blackburn is likely to start.
Waddell allowed three runs across three innings. After a strong opening game by newly-named All-Star David Peterson, the Mets’ bullpen faltered again.
New York conceded two runs in the fifth inning, including one on Brett Baty’s third-base error, and two more in the sixth. Justin Hagenman, Richard Lovelady, and Rico Garcia, each with fewer than 13 innings for the Mets, relieved Waddell.
New York’s offensive struggles continued against a team with the worst ERA and most home runs allowed in the American League. Starter Tomoyuki Sugano, who had a 6.20 ERA in June, allowed six runs in his first July start, though he managed four hits and three walks against the Mets in six innings.
The Mets, who entered with the NL’s second-highest run total for July, scored just four runs over the doubleheader. They haven’t won a road series since June 6-8 against the Colorado Rockies, a team over 50 games below .500.
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