What went wrong for Jose Quintana in Mets' series-opening loss to Giants

SAN FRANCISCO — Jose Quintana was visibly frustrated as he fell behind 3-0 to Tom Murphy in the top of the fourth inning on Monday night.

The Mets veteran left-hander pounded his glove as he tendered his third straight ball before walking Murphy on four pitches — three sinkers and a changeup.

That lack of command, paired with some unlucky soft contact, plagued Quintana in his fifth start of the season. Quintana gave up a season-high five earned runs on seven hits and three walks as the Mets dropped the series opener to the Giants, 5-2, on Monday night in front of 24,138 fans at Oracle Park.

"He struggled with his fastball command," manager Carlos Mendoza said. "He was having a hard time locating the fastball, getting ahead of hitters. Got behind in counts, a lot of three-ball counts, even though there was a lot of soft contact.

"The ball found holes. Overall, I think he just has to get back to finding that fastball and getting ahead of hitters."

The Mets' offense could not help the cause, with Pete Alonso providing the lone blow in the opening eight innings with a solo shot to left field off Giants starter Keaton Winn. It was Alonso's seventh long ball of 2024.

The Mets plated a run on an error in the ninth inning but DJ Stewart, the potential tying run, grounded out with runners on the corners to end the game.

After running their win streak to six games with two straight victories over the Dodgers to begin their six-game road trip, Monday's defeat moved the Mets to 2-2 on the California swing and 12-10 overall. It was the first time they have lost two straight games since they began the season with five straight losses.

Rocky start for Jose Quintana

It was a pair of rough innings for Quintana that eventually undid his fifth start of the season.

After working through a perfect first inning with three straight ground balls, Quintana needed 61 pitches to get through the next two frames .The ball barely left the infield against him in the top of the second inning, but the Giants were still able to scratch across two runs.

The first hit by Jorge Soler went up the middle as Jeff McNeil booted the ball away with his foot. A bloop single by Michael Conforto into left field put two runners on before a walk loaded the bases.

After Quintana worked ahead 0-2 against Nick Ahmed, the Giants shortstop belted a high fastball up the middle that deflected off the glove of Francisco Lindor and skipped into the outfield grass for a two-run single.

"That’s our plan. I can probably go higher than that, especially in that count," Quintana said. "He made a really good swing on that pitch, so it was weak contact. It wasn’t hard. Next time, I’m ahead, I expect to put him away with that pitch."

In the third inning, Quintana walked leadoff batter Wilmer Flores before Jung Hoo Lee looped a slurve into right field. Matt Chapman made the Mets left-hander pay when he pulled a curveball down the left-field line for a two-run double.

Not providing length

The three walks and two lengthy innings helped to inflate Quintana's struggles on Monday.

"Trying to find that rhythm, whether it’s mechanics, arm not catching up on time, things like that," Mendoza said. "But you know, this is a guy that’s had a pretty career commanding the fastball and moving the ball around and I feel like he’s nibbling a little too much now. He’s got to be more aggressive, and he’ll be fine."

Quintana threw 91 pitches, with only 53 going for strikes. Out of 41 sinkers, Quintana only received 13 called strikes and one swing and miss. He called Monday's effort "frustrating," but said he plans to flush it and get back to the video to tweak his mechanics and throw more strikes.

He went out for the sixth inning but gave up a first-pitch home run to Michael Conforto on a hanging curvevall.

After opening his Mets tenure with seven quality starts out of nine appearances, Quintana has not been able to find the same consistency early in 2024. His longest outing came when he tossed 5⅔ innings against the Reds on April 5 and he's walked at least two batters in each of his five starts. Monday's start pushed Quintana's ERA from 3.05 to 4.21, while his WHIP surged to 1.60 — well above his career 1.28 mark.

"Be ahead more, attack more, more in the zone," Quintana said of where he can improve. "Be ahead most of the time I can be. That’s going to be my goal."

Bullpen turnover sees Josh Walker, Sean Reid-Foley return

For the second time this season, Mets manager Carlos Mendoza had to have a difficult discussion with reliever Michael Tonkin.

With a bullpen unit facing attrition, ballooned by the Mets starting pitcher's inability to consistently go deep, the Mets designated Tonkin for assignment for the second time in the opening month of the season. After placing Brooks Raley on the 15-day injured list with elbow inflammation on Sunday afternoon, Grant Hartwig was used in relief during the team's 10-0 loss to the Dodgers.

On Monday afternoon, Sean Reid-Foley returned from a right shoulder impingement, while left-hander Josh Walker was called up from Triple-A Syracuse.

"It's one of those we're missing Raley, obviously, getting another lefty is important but we also feel good with some of the righties," Mendoza said. "They can get some lefties out. Reid-Foley being one of them."

Reid-Foley faced the heart of the Giants' lineup in the bottom of the seventh inning, walking Lee and Soler but picking up a pair of ground-ball outs and striking out Conforto looking. Walker, who earned the call-up after striking out 10 across 9⅔innings with three earned runs allowed in Syracuse, tossed a perfect eighth inning, striking out Thairo Estrada.

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: NY Mets: Jose Quintana struggles in worst start of 2024 in loss to Giants