Vientos, who has played 38 games at third this year, was instead slotted into the DH role for the seventh time this season, and batted fifth. The mixing and matching can be a lot for young players, but though it’s mostly borne of necessity, shifting to different roles could actually be beneficial, manager Carlos Mendoza said.

Carlos Mendoza talks offensive struggles, not executing with RISP and addressing Juan Soto's hustle out of the box after the Mets fall to the Red Sox

There was a buzz in the air as the finale of the first installment of the Subway Series turned into a bullpen duel after Mets pitcher David Peterson went toe-to-toe with one of baseball’s best pitchers, the Yankees’ Max Fried.

While the Mets failed to produce much on offense during this game and did not slug a single home run during this series, perhaps the biggest story during Sunday's game was the Mets' struggles on defense.

The Mets manager was indicating the crucial errors from Mark Vientos and Pete Alonso that allowed two unearned runs for the Yankees in a hard-fought series decider on Sunday. Alonso had another big error in the series opener in Boston.

In Friday’s 7-2 win over the Cubs, Mendoza’s gamble paid off. The Mets hit four home runs against Taillon, all from the left side of the plate, the only home runs he’s given up to left-handers all season.

When Mets President David Stearns voiced concern about the team’s defense just a few days back, some brushed it off as cautious executive-speak. The post David Stearns' Fears Come True as Mets Manager Carlos Mendoza Blames $54M Star for Yankees Loss appeared first on EssentiallySports.

This story was excerpted from Bryan Hoch’s Yankees Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.