Rich Hill disappointed he didn’t give more defeats to the Mets

Rich Hill had a reputation for being essentially a five-innings pitcher at this point in his career when the Mets acquired him in July from the Rays.

The 41-year-old southpaw has recorded exactly 15 strikeouts in five of his six starts since the trade after allowing two runs in the third inning of Friday’s dismal 2-1 loss to the Nationals at Citi Field.

The Mets’ 19th loss in 25 games was certainly the result of another bad night in their roster, but Hill, who pitched five innings, blamed himself for his hiccups in the third.

“It’s disappointing to have this third round. I expect more of myself, to be able to keep the other team at bay and give us a chance to win the game, ”said Hill, who is still looking for his first Met win (0-2). . “So I think this third round, I take the blame for this one. You have to keep throwing up zeros. Unfortunately, this third round they managed to get some points.

Hill actually worked at least six innings in seven of his 19 starts with Tampa Bay earlier this season. He now sports a 4.83 ERA in seven appearances (six starts) since joining the Mets.

The 17-year-old veteran pulled off a line-up unscathed before charging up the bases without registering a strikeout in the third. He allowed two runs in the set, on an offfield from Soto and a single from Josh Bell for a 2-0 lead at the Nationals.

Hill escaped further damage by hitting both Carter Kieboom and Lane Thomas with two runners in goal position, but the shocked Mets only managed one solo homer in Javier Baez’s fourth inning against the Washington starting Paulo Espino and four relievers falling to 6-19 in August.

“I know in the future we have to start winning and that’s on everyone’s mind,” said Hill, who put out eight sticks and didn’t hit any on 91 shots. “I can only throw my own assessment and look towards this third round, if we keep them even for a single point. The other way to look at it is that they could have scored more points. But looking back, I expect a better job of myself.