The Mets’ lone Gold Glove finalist was betrayed by his defense Wednesday night.
Luis Severino didn’t give up much hard contact in Game 3.
Instead, the two runs he allowed across 4 ²/₃ innings were partly due to the pitcher not fielding his position as well as usual.
“I feel like my glove messed everything up in that inning there,” Severino said after the Mets’ 8-0 Game 3 loss at Citi Field.
The Mets never really recovered after Severino allowed those two unearned runs in the second inning.
They weren’t completely Severino’s fault.
He did walk Max Muncy leading off the frame, but Francisco Alvarez’s throwing error on a Teoscar Hernandez dribbler loomed large.
Severino couldn’t field a Gavin Lux comebacker cleanly, costing him a chance at a double play, and Will Smith singled off Severino, allowing the game’s first run to score.
“That was not good. I should’ve caught those,” Severino said. “One should’ve been an easy double play. Other one I should’ve stopped the guy going to home plate. Made a couple of mistakes there.”
The right-hander was fortunate that Tommy Edman’s sacrifice fly was tracked down in right-center field by Tyrone Taylor, or it could’ve been worse that inning.
But the damage was done.
Overall, Severino’s performance was passable, limiting Los Angeles’ powerhouse lineup to three hits and those two runs.
While he didn’t give the Mets length, Severino at least limited the damage.
Follow The Post’s coverage of the Mets in the postseason:
- Mets let home crowd down with Game 3 dud as Dodgers take control of NLCS
- Mets needed more from starter Luis Severino when they had chance to take series lead
- Mets’ brutal defensive gaffes cost them in miserable inning
- Heyman: Mets couldn’t match moment in rare October flop
He got out of a bases-loaded, one-out situation in the third by retiring Hernandez and Lux, worked a perfect fourth, and came out in the fifth with two on and two out.
That has been Severino’s postseason — not disastrous, but not overly effective.
He entered with a 4.50 ERA, having allowed six ER in 12 innings pitched, and he wasn’t much better on Wednesday night.
Severino was frequently behind hitters, put the Mets in an early hole and forced the bullpen to get 13 outs.
It didn’t help matters that Reed Garrett served up a two-run homer to Kiké Hernandez in the sixth that put the game away.
The lone positive was that Garrett was the only high-leverage reliever that was used.
With huge games coming up on Thursday and Friday, that was significant.