The Mets just finished a pretty successful series against the Atlanta Braves, winning two of three from the team with the best record in MLB. The Braves are a team full of bats that is fifth in baseball in both average and OPS and fourth in runs scored.
Hats off to the Mets’ pitching staff, who limited that formidable club to just 9 runs in three games. The pitching was good from both the starters and relievers. Starters threw 15 innings and gave up 5 runs, all earned. Relievers threw 12 innings and gave up 4 runs, all earned. The defense was up to the task, with only a pair of errors in those games that did not factor in the outcomes.
The Mets hit the ball surprisingly well, racking up 27 hits in those three games. They hit four solo home runs and one grand slam in spacious Citi Field where the warm air was thin and baseballs saw little resistance.
Do these upticks in both pitching and hitting, coupled with the pending return of Lindor, Mauricio, Taylor, and Senga this month project future success? I don’t believe that is the case. There are certainly some positive signs, but a good series does not represent a full turn-around from a dismal start. The return of Lindor should help the team eventually, though he will have to get up to game speed. The return of Mauricio and Taylor will cause some tough decisions on who will be released and who will be sent down, but will not materially impact the lineup. And with Senga, it’s like a box of chocolates – you never know what you will get.
I think that the positives we should be taking from the Mets’ month of June are the play of their youngsters. Both AJ Ewing and Carson Benge are now hitting above .250 and they are playing solid if not spectacular defense. They are running the bases aggressively. Jared Young, who at 30 years of age is young by MLB service time, is making a good argument for why he should remain the team’s starting first baseman. Christian Scott is looking like the player we expected him to be before his injury and he provides hope every time he takes the mound. These are the kind of players that you want surrounding veterans like Lindor and Soto.
I just hope that the return of the injured players does not change the entire dynamic through lineup changes and playing time adjustments. There was a hint of fun in the dugout during this past series, and that is an essential element to playing loose with a clear mind. That must remain for the team to play well.
As the Mets leave the pitching friendly confines of Citi Field for the hitter friendly Great American Ball Park, I don’t know whether to be excited or worried. Great American has yielded more homers (111) this year than any other park in MLB. The Mets certainly have a pitching edge against the Reds (3.85 ERA versus 4.85 ERA), but the Reds can out-slug the Mets. With Christian Scott and Nolan McLean plus an opener scheduled to pitch against the Reds, we will have to see if the Reds can be held down. Then it is off to Philadelphia to face another slugging team.
10 comments:
Ewing and Benge prevented a Mets collapse. Kudos to the success of those two.
Imagine if Lindor, Polanco, Taylor, Robert, and Mauricio were all ready to return in two weeks? That would lead to some real and crazy reshuffling. Brujan is a goner, Melendez also. But then there are 3 more returnees.
Any run for a playoff slot needs solid consistent pitching.
This would mean that McLean would have to turn his season around sort of immediately
Wageman is the first casualty, I would expect.
More than McLean would need a turnaround. We would need Senga and Peterson to pitch like he did in 1H2024, Baty to hit, and Bichette to play like he has in other cities. Unfortunately, I'm afraid that ship has sailed.
Agree
Some positives for a change.
Here's the Mets' issue: they have one great player in Soto. They have four very good players in McLean, Williams, Benge, and Ewing. They have four good players in Weaver, Raley and both catchers. After those 9, they have almost nothing.
Injuries to Holmes, Lindor and Minter and poor performances by Bichette and Manaea have really hurt them. They have Minter back, and Lindor is getting closer. There are "green shoots" from Bichette and Manaea, and the timing is good as they need them now during this rough stretch of the schedule.
If all goes well, that's Roster Spots 1-13 occupied by above replacement level types, with a handful of them being elite or emergent types. I would add Brazoban and Warren to that grouping, but I fear what might happen if they get exposed further, of if management tries them more prominent roles.
Peralta has not really pitched like an ace, and I would rank him at #15 or #16 on the Mets roster hierarchy in terms of performance.
Jared Young looks promising, but it is still a small sample size. The league will adjust to him. He is better than any of the other dregs that have played first, which isn't saying much.
So, there are roughly 9-10 spots on the 26-man roster that contribute almost nothing, or at least nothing on a consistent basis. Given the size of the Mets payroll, this is almost dumbfounding. That number could grow if Young regresses, Bichette cools down, or there is another injury. I don't see it shrinking to under 10, as there is almost nothing left on the farm, and I don't trust Stearns to make any good deals down the stretch.
The goal needs to be to reach .500 before the ASB. That puts them within striking distance of a Wild Card. That might be doable with 2/3 of a roster, especially if the guys at the top can continue their strong seasons
With Lindor and Holmes returning their not going to sell at the deadline.
I disagree
More reason to clean out the cupboard
See my post tomorrow on the three options the Mets Face: Stand Pat, Hedge, Risk. I seem to have a somewhat different view than everyone else does and that does seem hard to do since just about every view has been adopted by someone who has voiced one!
Post a Comment