MILWAUKEE — Carlos Carrasco’s frustrating first season with the Mets has been marred by a torn right hamstring and maddening first-inning troubles.
The hamstring healed, but it appears his first-inning woes will remain an enigma to him and the Mets until the conclusion of this lost season. On Sunday he surrendered a two-run homer to Willy Adames in the first, from which the Mets never rebounded in an 8-4 loss to the Brewers at American Family Field. The loss guaranteed the Mets of their second straight losing season under manager Luis Rojas and fourth in five years.
Carrasco, who has one start remaining, saw his first-inning ERA rise to 14.73 with Adames’ blast. The Brewers scored three additional runs against Carrasco in the second inning. He finished with two straight scoreless frames.
“A couple of the walks, it was the changeup,” Carrasco said. “I was trying to get a ground ball or strike them out, but I went way too down in the zone and I am just trying to figure out where I can throw it. I learned a lot today. Trust me, I learned a lot today. I am just going to put more emphasis on it for tomorrow and just get into the final start.”
Before the game, Rojas was asked about Carrasco’s first-inning troubles.
“The first-inning thing is real, it has been there, it has happened,” Rojas said. “But as the game unfolds he’s using his pitchability and what he can do with his entire pitch [selection]. Overall I think he’s thrown the ball well, it’s just been a difficult year for him.”
The 34-year-old Carrasco didn’t pitch his first game this season until July 30, and even then he was still in buildup mode, expediting his return because the Mets were strapped for starting pitching. He had given the team three straight solid starts before Sunday’s underwhelming performance. Carrasco has pitched to a 5.73 ERA in 11 starts this season.
“His willingness to come and build up, stretch out with the team in-season, just because he wanted to be in there and compete, knowing that we were in a need for starting pitching, he went through a process that almost was like spring training for him,” Rojas said.
The Mets, who were officially eliminated from postseason contention a day earlier, watched the Brewers clinch the NL Central title. The Brewers built from a 5-4 lead in the sixth inning, using throwing errors from Jonathan Villar and Francisco Lindor in scoring three runs. Michael Conforto had a throwing error as part of the Mets’ sloppy afternoon.
The Mets will be counting on Carrasco to stay healthy and rediscover his success next season. In 2020 he posted a 2.91 ERA in 12 starts for Cleveland. The Mets then acquired him in the trade that brought Lindor to the team.
Carrasco, Jacob deGrom and Taijuan Walker are the veteran Mets starting pitchers signed beyond this season. Marcus Stroman, Noah Syndergaard and Rich Hill are impending free agents. Carrasco isn’t ready to consider what next season’s rotation might resemble.
“The only thing I’m thinking of is what we have right now,” Carrasco said. “I don’t know what it’s going to be in the future, so I just stand on the present right now.”