The night began with hope for New York, as Juan Soto wasted no time in electrifying the Mets’ faithful, launching a solo homer off the formidable Brandon Woodruff in the first inning. Starling Marte followed suit with a towering blast to open the second, handing the Mets a 2-0 advantage. But as the echoes of their early fireworks faded, so too did their offensive spark, and the specter of recent failures began to loom.
Brandon Woodruff, who has now guided the Brewers to victory in all six games since returning from the injured list on July 6, settled into a groove. Despite issuing a couple of rare walks, Woodruff struck out eight and kept the Mets’ bats quiet after those initial blows, showing the poise of a staff ace and extending his unbeaten run. The Brewers’ faithful, a season-high 43,469 strong, sensed another comeback brewing.
On the mound for New York, Kodai Senga looked dominant through four innings, but the fifth would unravel everything. Blake Perkins led off with a dribbler that Senga mishandled, setting the table for disaster. One pitch later, Brice Turang crushed a game-tying, two-run homer, and the energy in the ballpark shifted palpably. The inning snowballed: a walk, a catcher’s interference, and then a bases-loaded hit-by-pitch by Brooks Raley handed the Brewers the lead they would not relinquish.
The Mets’ bullpen held the line from there, but their offense simply couldn’t answer. After Jeff McNeil’s single in the fourth, New York managed just two more hits. Yet, in the ninth inning, a glimmer of hope flickered. With two outs, Marte doubled off Trevor Megill, and McNeil followed with a single to center. Blake Perkins, already a hero at the plate, sealed the night defensively—fielding the ball and unleashing a perfect one-hop throw to William Contreras at the plate. Marte was tagged out in a cloud of dust, and the Mets’ challenge fell short as replay confirmed the call. It was a soul-crushing conclusion for New York, encapsulating the agony of a season slipping away.
The Brewers, meanwhile, have flipped the script on their early-season woes, having now won 19 of the last 29 games in which they trailed first. Their clutch performances, both at the plate and in the field, underscore why they remain the class of the National League.
As the Mets slip further behind in the NL East, questions swirl about their ability to recover. The Brewers’ relentless momentum, anchored by Brandon Woodruff’s brilliance, shows no signs of slowing down as they prepare for the next matchup with Tobias Myers on the mound. For New York, the path forward looks steep, and the echoes of missed chances may haunt them deep into the dog days of August.
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