Mets offense struggles once again, falling to Diamondbacks, 5-1, to end road trip

Mostly due to another forgettable day at the plate, the Mets lost 5-1 to the Diamondbacks on Sunday in Arizona, as a once-promising road trip ended with two straight losses. 

It was still a winning trip, at 5-4, but the Mets need a winning streak to begin digging out of the hole they’re in, with their 15-25 record. 

Their offense continues to be their biggest problem. They scored a total of two runs in the two losses in Arizona, and their season total of 140 runs is the second-lowest in the majors, ahead of only the San Francisco Giants. 

The defense hurt them as well on Sunday, as the Mets made three errors.

Here are the takeaways...

-- The Mets were dominated by lefty Eduardo Rodriguez for the second time this season. 

Rodriguez held the Mets to one run over seven innings at Citi Field in early April, and he was even better on Sunday, allowing one run over 8 1/3 innings. 

The Mets managed only four hits off the left-hander, two of them by backup catcher Luis Torrens. 

-- Juan Soto had two chances to make a big impact on the game with runners on base, but flew out routinely against Rodriguez in both the sixth and eighth innings. 

Soto is slumping badly at a time when the Mets desperately need him to carry the offense. He went 4-for-33 (.121) on the nine-game road trip, and 2-for-26 (.077) over the last seven games. 

-- David Peterson had a second straight solid outing as the bulk reliever in the game, going five innings that may well have been scoreless if not for an Andy Ibanez error that led to three runs in the sixth inning.

For whatever reason, Peterson seems to pitch better out of the bullpen than as a starter. On this day he followed Huascar Brazoban and Tobias Myers, coming in to start the third inning. 

He allowed four hits and, notably for him, issued no walks. He struck out three D-Backs hitters.

-- Andy Ibanez didn’t look like much of a third baseman in his debut there with the Mets -- certainly not the throwing part anyway. He made two throwing errors, both times high and wide to the home plate side, and the second one, in the sixth inning, proved crucial when the D-Backs went on to score three unearned runs to take a 5-1 lead.

Peterson had a chance to get out of the inning, but with two outs gave up three straight hits, two singles and an opposite-field triple to Ketel Marte down the line in right field, off the fence. 

Ibanez is a 33-year-old journeyman utility man who has played plenty of third base over the years. He was claimed off waivers from the Athletics on April 30, and in the lineup to give the Mets an additional right-handed bat against Rodriguez. 

-- Poor defense cost the Mets in the second inning when Mark Vientos failed to turn a pickoff into an out, reacting slowly to Brazoban’s throw to first, allowing Ildemaro Vargas to reach second base safely. 

When Vargas took off for second early, Brazoban threw behind him to first base, but Vientos didn’t come off the bag toward the ball to shorten the distance on both the catch and the throw to second, and Vargas beat his throw to second base. 

There was no error on the play but the mistake proved costly when Nolan Arenado walked and rookie Ryan Waldschmidt doubled with two outs off Tobias Myers to drive in two runs. 

-- The Mets were no-hit through five innings by Rodriguez before Carson Benge hit a soft liner into center field for a single with one out in the sixth. 

That led to a run when Luis Torrens followed with an opposite-field double down the right field line, scoring Benge to get the Mets on the board, trailing 2-1. 

Game MVP: Eduardo Rodriguez

The left-hander is having an outstanding season, now 4-0 with a 2.25 ERA. Rodriguez had a chance to pitch the first complete game of his career, but when he gave up a bloop single to Vientos with one out in the ninth, manager Torrey Lovullo pulled him with his pitch count at 100. 

Highlights

The Mets are on the board!

Luis Torrens brings home Carson Benge with a double! pic.twitter.com/n0E8HFCuBR— SNY (@SNYtv) May 10, 2026

Tyrone Taylor makes the diving catch in center field! pic.twitter.com/uzvYT4Um0l— SNY (@SNYtv) May 10, 2026

What's next

The Mets return home and after an off day on Monday are back in action on Tuesday when they host the Detroit Tigers to start a three-game series. First pitch is scheduled for 7:10 p.m. on SNY.

Neither team has announced a starter yet.