New York Mets' Carlos Carrasco says Umpire’s Missed Call 'Changed' his Start
NEW YORK - It was an ugly night for Mets starter Carlos Carrasco on Tuesday, who was hit hard by the Houston Astros for the second straight outing.
But according to the veteran starter, the entire trajectory of his start took a turn when the first base umpire ruled Jose Altuve did not go around on a full count check-swing. This call resulted in a leadoff walk, which got things going for the Astros in what spiraled into a four-run opening inning.
"In the first inning, the umpire made the wrong call right there," a frustrated Carrasco said following the Mets' 9-1 loss to Houston. "It changed the ballgame completely. I think he screwed up right there."
When asked if this play effected his focus afterward, Carrasco replied: "We're human beings, but I try not to think about that."
Carrasco then detailed how the ground ball fielder's choice out he induced from the next batter would have given him a better chance to get out of the inning unscathed since it would have set him up for a bases empty situation with two outs.
However, with a runner on and one-out, Carrasco gave up three straight hits, including a two-run homer to Kyle Tucker. Had Altuve's swing been called a strike, Carrasco would've allowed three runs in the inning as opposed to four. But in Carrasco's defense, a case could be made that first baseman Pete Alonso has a better chance to field Yordan Alvarez's single had he not been holding the runner on the bag.
“Everything was good except the first inning,” Carrasco said. “If he made the right decision, the right call, it should’ve been a different game.”
Manager Buck Showalter seemed to agree with Carrasco.
“He probably should’ve been out of the first inning, but he didn’t get a call . . . There’s enough opportunities to make that not matter. Obviously, it was a swing. But those things come and go all season long.”
Carrasco allowed one more run after the first inning, but Chasen Shreve replaced him with a runner on first base and one-out in the fifth, and that's when things got even worse. The struggling reliever allowed a pair of two-run homers in the inning, which saw Houston extend their lead to 9-0.
Carrasco lasted just 4 1/3 innings and was tagged for six runs. In his last two starts, he has been forced to face the Astros both times, and has given up 11 runs in 7 2/3 innings. He has surrendered five runs or more in three of his last four outings, inflating his ERA on the season up to 4.85. He has failed to complete five innings in these three rough starts as well.
As Showalter also noted, the righty has been struggling to command his signature split-changeup as of late. But Carrasco, who threw his split-change just 12 times (16%) on Tuesday, which is abnormal for him, says that wasn’t the case. The righty says he didn’t throw it much because he liked how his fastball and slider felt.
Prior to his latest clunker, Carrasco exited his outing on June 22 with lower back tightness. Albeit, he said he felt good physically on Tuesday, as his velocity returned to normal.
The Mets have dropped their first three meetings with the Astros this season, with two of these contests resulting in blowout losses. They will try to avoid going 0-4 to the Astros in 2022, but it won’t get any easier as they’re set to face AL Cy Young candidate Justin Verlander in Wednesday’s series finale matinee.
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