The road trip just beginning is probably a make-or-break exercise for the 2024 version of the New York Mets. It includes a lot of travel, a one-day rain makeup game in the midwest and a great many innings for players brand new or very recently added to the roster.
Right now the starting lineup is pretty much the same as it has been. It will contain Francisco Lindor, Brandon Nimmo, J.D. Martinez, Pete Alonso, Mark Vientos, Jeff McNeil, Francisco Alvarez, Harrison Bader and the right fielder of the day.
There will be days when McNeil is out there with Jose Iglesias manning 2B, days when Jesse Winker or Ben Gamel could be out there and at some point days when Starling Marte returns from his very long stint on the IL.
The rotation is where it gets truly interesting. Obviously Paul Blackburn is becoming a part of the starting five with the six-man rotation on injury hiatus. Word has filtered out that Tylor Megill is going to make a late attempt at converting from poor starter to acceptable reliever, working fewer innings but probably throwing at a higher velocity knowing he wasn’t expected to cover 5 or more innings at a clip.
Of course, the move to the pen for Megill may be on a very short leash as Sean Reid-Foley and Reed Garrett have begun their injury rehab assignments. Then again, the Young twins could also be on an Uber ride back to Syracuse, too. Matt Gage is not exactly on firm ground yet either. Huascar Brazoban is the only newcomer whose role is not in question.
So, what will it take for the Mets to continue the strong July into August and September? The hitting has improved greatly since earlier in the year but the pitching is very much less predictable. For example, after a totally solid start by Luis Severino he just turned around and coughed up a terrible one. Sean Manaea is living off his amazing last start, but he’s had ups and downs as well.
On offense, while Jeff McNeil, Mark Vientos and Francisco Lindor have improved significantly, Pete Alonso has not been performing at his top-of-the-league slugger level. J.D. Martinez has helped teammates with focus and follow through but hasn’t carried it over to his own game. Brandon Nimmo is in a horrific slump.
Harrison Bader has been quite good but his history suggests it may not be sustainable. The bench is improved with Winker over D.J. Stewart, but on the whole it’s not that strong should injuries or slumps demand the substitutes to get more playing time.
Right now I think if the team plays as if it is going to play each game like it’s a post season necessity, the cream will rise to the top. If instead they are going through the motions then they could find themselves sitting on the sofa in October instead of in the dugout.
10 comments:
Good start to the road trip last night. Blackburn pitches to contact and relies on his defense. He danced around trouble for six innings and the defense didn't disappoint. Nice to see Pete go deep. It would be awesome if he heats up. Maybe with the trade deadline in the past he can relax more.
Trail the Phillies by 7 games...was 17 games 7 weeks ago. Let's win this sucker.
Ben Gamel has been to the plate 18 times in over 5 weeks - he does not count.
Against righties, Winker = Nimmo.
Marte likely back after road trip. Massive upgrade over Gamel. When he returns, the # of weak points in the offensive portion of the Mets roster (in past years, usually 4-5 weaklings) will be zero, as in no weak spots amongst the 13.
Blackburn > Houser and seemingly Blackburn > Megill.
Despite the Diaz sticky fingers episode and suspension that presaged a full-blown bullpen injury crisis, the Mets are 34-16 (.680) in their last 50. The bullpen, especially with some soon-coming injury returnees, is its deepest all year.
I'm thinking very positively. Let's win this sucker.
I am going to stay focused on the Wild Card
Looks like a 4 horse race for 3 slots
Winning at a .600 % might be enough
Secret could be how future Braves/Phil's games come out and how team plays against both these teams
Question
Do you think Tom is going to mention Sproat this morning?
This is TB News: Sproat at 9
We will be just short of making the playoffs.
I don't think we have enough for October. The pitching will begin to struggle as innings compile. Pete needs to go on a tear that lasts a couple months, but he cannot seem to stop chasing pitches.
Why do you say, "Huascar Brazoban is the only newcomer whose role is not in question"?
I agree with Paul’s question. I think Paul Blackburn’s role is not in question.
He is in Disneyland right now. First team he’s ever been on that has a killer offense and decent bullpen. I think he will perform better just for that reason.
But I disagree with Paul in that I think the pitching has been sufficiently shored up, even without Senga, to be decent. And…when Marte returns, the Mets will have 13 fully functional offensive players (something the Mets have virtually never had) and probably the toughest offense in baseball. They are 34-16 in their last 50 despite widespread pitching disarray, but the pitching for the last 53 games in my opinion should be better than the first 2/3 of the season.
Have to believe that Blackburn, who just met the team in LA yesterday, had a lot of warm fuzzy feelings watching Lindor/Iglesias behind him turn two pretty incredible DP’s, along with Lindor’s tag on the thwarted SB. Pretty sure that he wasn’t getting that kind of defense behind him in Oakland. And for a guy who induces something like 50% ground balls, (and doesn’t walk many) that’s a big difference maker. He’s also got an offense that seems likely to provide him some runs for the first time in years. Sure he’ll have some tough outings where batted balls find holes, but he doesn’t beat himself and I think he’s going to be a bigger boost to this staff than people expect.
Reese, I’m not expecting you to be Tom (hi Tom!) but you still seem unconvinced that this offense is for real. Bader is healthy for the first time in years, and has been an above average offensive CF for 2/3 of a season. Looks sustainable to me. Adding Marte’s bay vs lefties, even if he’s replaced late for defense should be a boost. I’m concerned about Alvarez because he’s taken a physical beating all year, and he may not get his power stroke back until he can take the winter off, but he’s incredible with the staff, and he’s our #8 hitter right now. Martinez has looked brutally bad for more than a month (other than a couple of 3-hit games). That’s concerning, but it also wouldn’t surprise if one of the most professional hitters in baseball found his stroke again.
With a suddenly incredibly deep bullpen, and seemingly a top-3 lineup, I think that we just may have just enough starting pitching to sustain a run into October.
Given all of the above and the "amazing" rebound since the depths of the early months, I feel compelled to ask:
Is it time to consider Mendy as potential MOTY?
I say it is.
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