MILWAUKEE -- The Mets have spent much of this season searching for cleaner defense. On Wednesday, it cost them again.
Joey Ortiz’s two-out, two-run triple in the second inning -- on a ball that fell just beyond Brett Baty’s outstretched glove in right field -- gave Milwaukee the lead for good in New York’s 4-3 loss to the Brewers on Wednesday afternoon at American Family Field.
The Mets had grabbed an early lead on Marcus Semien’s solo homer in the second, but Milwaukee answered immediately. After putting runners on the corners with nobody out, the Brewers appeared poised for a bigger inning before the Mets recorded two straight outs. Ortiz then lined a fastball the opposite way into right, where Baty ranged awkwardly to his left but couldn’t come up with the play. Christian Yelich followed with an RBI single to push Milwaukee’s lead to 3-1.
Baty answered in the fifth, sending a solo homer just over the right-field wall -- not far from where Ortiz’s liner had dropped three innings earlier -- to trim the deficit to one. But the Brewers added an insurance run late and the Mets couldn’t generate another breakthrough against Milwaukee’s pitching staff until they scored one run in the ninth.
The defensive alignment was an unusual one for New York. With Juan Soto receiving the afternoon off and Luis Robert Jr. also out of the starting lineup as the Mets continue easing him back from the injured list, Baty got the start in right field instead of natural outfielder Tyrone Taylor. Though Baty has logged time in the outfield this season, his primary position remains third base.
The Mets’ defensive struggles have been a recurring theme throughout the season. Entering Wednesday, New York ranked 24th in the Majors with minus-11 Fielding Run Value, according to Statcast, and its 69 errors were tied for the second most in baseball.
One swing gave the Mets an early advantage. Another brought them back within striking distance. In between, one ball that stayed just out of reach ultimately cost the Mets.