NEW YORK -- Andruw Monasterio had been in the cooler for a month. Then, suddenly, he was on the hot seat.
That’s life for a bench player in the big leagues like the 28-year-old Monasterio, who experienced the full range of emotion during the Brewers’ 3-2 loss to the Mets at Citi Field on Thursday, from being peppered by grounders just out of his reach in New York’s go-ahead sixth inning to hitting his first home run in more than a year in the seventh.
The loss earned the Mets their first series victory in six tries and dealt the Brewers their first series loss in more than three weeks. And it happened with a series of excruciating near misses, from Rhys Hoskins seeing a go-ahead home run tail just foul ahead of his double-play grounder in the top of the sixth inning, to Juan Soto’s would-be double-play ball in the bottom of that inning sneaking under a diving Monasterio’s glove, right down to Christian Yelich being out by a hair while trying to steal second base for one last gasp in the ninth.
“This is a game of inches,” Monasterio said. “That’s something that you learn for next time. Just don’t let it happen again.”
You have to go back beyond the last time the Brewers dropped a series -- June 9-11 against the Braves -- to find Monasterio’s last start before Thursday, an afternoon series finale in Cincinnati on June 4 in which he manned third base and singled home the first run in a 9-1 win. He started again Thursday because the Brewers were facing a left-hander and were coming off a doubleheader on a steamy Wednesday in Queens during which regular second baseman Brice Turang played every inning and saw a 14-game hitting streak come to an end.
Naturally, then, the baseball found Monasterio in critical moments.
With Brewers starter Jose Quintana beginning his third turn through New York’s lineup after allowing a solo homer but no Mets runners in scoring position over the first five innings, Starling Marte hit a one-out bouncer up the middle in the sixth that forced Monasterio to range to the shortstop side of second base. His throw was in time, but it drew Hoskins off the bag and Marte was safe.
“You want to make that play for ‘Mona’ so bad,” Hoskins said.
For the next batter, switch-hitting Francisco Lindor, Monasterio’s positioning up the middle allowed Lindor to bounce a single through the open right side of the infield. And with Monasterio back at his normal spot for Soto, the Mets star was able to hit another bouncer to Monasterio’s right that might have been a double-play opportunity had he been able to corral it.
“It’s a really weird sensation, because you get the ground ball and you’re so excited. You’re ready to jump and celebrate,” Quintana said. “That’s what you’re looking for -- a ball on the ground.”
“I had a chance, for sure,” Monasterio said. “It was close. I just did my best, diving to try to catch that ground ball.”
“It would have been a double play and it’s a different game,” Brewers manager Pat Murphy said. “But that’s why you play ‘em all.”
When the ball bounced under Monasterio’s glove for a run-scoring single, the Mets had a 2-1 lead and Quintana’s night was done.
When Pete Alonso greeted reliever Nick Mears with an RBI double off the top of the left-field wall, the Mets had the run they needed to win.
Murphy said Monasterio was “fabulous tonight for a guy who had been in the cooler,” but he knew what question was coming.
“Now, does Turang make that play?” Murphy said. “Turang is a Platinum Glove winner, so …”
That’s no knock on Monasterio.
“We didn’t have him on the team early, we gave another guy [Vinny Capra] a shot, and he waited his time, came up here and now he’s still in the cooler and gets a shot once every week, once every two weeks, and produces at-bats like he did tonight,” the manager said. “And the defense that he provided tonight [was solid]. You can always compare him to the Platinum Glove winner if you want, but ‘Mona’ can play third, short, second, first, left field, right field and center field, for that matter. I think he’s a really valuable asset.”
Staying sharp has been the challenge for all of the Brewers’ bench players this season, since there are far fewer platoons around the diamond than in recent years. Outfielder Daz Cameron spent two months with Milwaukee and started seven times. Monasterio has been with the Brewers since May 9 and he has 29 at-bats in 23 games.
“I think this year helped me a lot,” Monasterio said. “And also the veteran guys help me, too. The coaches, they give me advice and I’m trying to get that advice and follow it. I play every game like it is the last.”