Mets Week Three Recap 4/16-4/22: A tough week for the ‘Amazins

The New York Mets were brought back to earth this week, compiling a 2-4 record, and reminding fans that the good times couldn’t last forever.

The New York Mets had their first losing week of the year in week 3, bringing their overall record to 14-6. The week began with a 2/3 series loss to the Nationals, followed by a 2/3 series loss to the Braves. While the two wins were very exciting ones, the Mets showed various weaknesses that must be corrected if New York wants to keep winning this season.

The starting pitching was pretty good, with the exception of a Matt Harvey blowup that sent him to the bullpen. The offense was solid throughout the week, averaging over 5 runs a game.

However, sluggers Yoenis Cespedes and Jay Bruce continue to slump, which has prevented the lineup from producing at its full capacity.

The bullpen was a huge concern this week. Twice, Jacob deGrom had a brilliant start squandered by a brutal bullpen performance; in Monday and Saturday’s games the bullpen gave up a combined 9 runs in 3.2 innings of work. In order for the Mets to keep winning, the relievers must be able to throw strikes consistently.

The Games

VS WAS

L 8-6       WP: A. Cole

L 5-2       WP: G. Gonzalez

W 11-5   WP: A. Ramos

VS ATL

L 12-4     WP: M. Wisler

W 5-3      WP: R. Gsellman

L 4-3        WP: J. Biddle

Player Rankings

1. Jacob deGrom (2nd time in top 5)

deGrom had an incredible yet devastating week. The deGrominator posted a 1.88 ERA in 2 starts, going at least 7 innings in both of them, and racked up 22 strikeouts. However, both games, right after deGrom exited, the bullpen blew the game, so Jacob ended up with 2 no decisions.

2. Asdrubal Cabrera (2nd time)

Cabby continued his torrid start to 2018, hitting .423 with 7 RBI. Cabrera is now second in the national league in batting average, at .354, and is the biggest reason why the Mets have stayed afloat offensively with little production from Cespedes and Bruce.

3. Juan Lagares

Lagares had a nice week, getting at-bats where he could and making the most of them. Juan batted .444 this week and had a huge go-ahead double against Washington on Wednesday.

4. Wilmer Flores

Not many Mets played well this week, so Wilmer Flores comes in at #4, despite just 5 hits and 1 RBI this week. Flores hit .416 this week, boosting his season average to .263.

5. Yoenis Cespedes (2nd time)

Cespedes really doesn’t deserve to be on this list, as he struck out an atrocious 11 times in 6 games this week to increase his Major League lead. However, Cespy came up in the clutch in both wins this week. First, he hit a huge grand slam to blow the game open on Wednesday. Then, he hit a go-ahead single in the 12th to propel the Mets to a win on Friday.

Top Moment

Yoenis Cespedes cracked a Grand Slam on Wednesday night to break the game open at 11-4

Looking Ahead

The Mets have a day off on Monday, then travel to play the Cardinals in St. Louis, and then to San Diego to face the Padres for the first time this season. It will certainly be interesting to see Matt Harvey come out of the bullpen for the first time.

Next: Mickey Callaway's best quality: Accountability

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Yoenis Cespedes and Jay Bruce must come to life as soon as possible, and the bullpen has to be able to protect big leads late in games. If these things hold true, the Mets will have a good week 4.