3 Mets conclusions after splitting 4 games against the Padres

What conclusions can we draw from the 4 games against the Padres?

New York Mets v San Diego Padres
New York Mets v San Diego Padres / Denis Poroy/GettyImages
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Taking 2 out of 4 from the San Diego Padres on the road was the bare minimum the New York Mets needed over the weekend. The bitter taste we had after the season wrapped had more to do with the momentum rather than the actual results. Win the finale in any series and it does feel a lot better.

The Padres were a major test for the Mets. What conclusions can we take from splitting the 4-game series against them?

1) The Mets are still relying on home runs to win games

In one win, the Mets piled up 17 hits without a home run. In the other, Francisco Lindor carried them on his shoulders with power. What can we rely on to lead them to victory? Home runs have been the main source of their success. They’re fifth in MLB while falling in line as the 11th most proficient at scoring runs. The Thursday win without a dinger was the exception to the rule.

The Mets scored twice more on Sunday, both teams on solo home runs. This is an exciting way to win. Twice against the Baltimore Orioles one final swing got them the W.

The trouble with the Mets lately has been coming up with timely hits. Lindor’s salami was the timeliest of all. He had a chance to repeat on Sunday, but fell short.

A bit lost in the weekend was that the Mets had only 5 hits on Saturday despite scoring 7 runs. They had 7 hits on Sunday with the J.D. Martinez and Mark Vientos home runs accounting for the scoring. The team literally had more hits in their first game than they would in the next three. It’s a funky thing to happen.

Let’s not forget that despite the 8-3 win on Thursday, it was only 3-1 heading into the ninth inning. The Mets exploded in the final frame after a night when a lot of men were left on base. Francisco Alvarez notably went hitless in 5 attempts with a couple of strikeouts. If there is one player who might be trying too hard to go yard, it’s him.

2) The Mets won’t dwell on a miserable performance

Katy Perry didn’t know it but she sang about the 2024 Mets way back in 2008. They’re hot then they’re cold. They’re in the playoffs then they’re out. Our emotions are up then they’re down.

Is it just the Mets or is it baseball this season? All of the best teams have faced their struggles. For the Mets, getting over the hump has been the difficult part.

Nevertheless, the Mets bounced back nicely after Joe “The Ear” Musgrove embarrassed them on Friday. Mustering only two hits on the night, they came back proudly on Saturday with Lindor leading the charge. It wasn’t the same sort of hit parade as it was on Thursday.

Bouncing back strong and with energy is a good sign. Lindor has been the epicenter of the good vibes even if his attempt to pump up Huascar Brazoban in the final inning of Thursday’s win was a bit awkward. It’s like going out for ice cream after getting a D+ in math.

This year’s Mets team doesn’t seem to sulk. The positive vibes, as corny as they can be at times, is what works well for them. Thankfully, Lindor and Brandon Nimmo are the two leaders and they’d have nothing but a smile and compliments for a pair of dirty underwear.

3) The Mets pitching can be just good or just bad enough to win or lose games

Friday’s loss was moot for the pitching staff because the offense no-showed. A day prior, we saw the bullpen sail smoothly through 3 innings after Luis Severino grinded through the first five pitching just well enough to earn a victory. He walked 4 and struck out 5 in this outing.

David Peterson, yet again, won on Saturday with a long yet non-dominant outing. Jose Quintana could have easily done the same on Sunday if the bullpen held things together. Peterson went into the 8th and Quintana went into the 7th with a combined 2 strikeouts—both from Peterson. Hey, if it works, it works.

The bullpen remains the heartache of this team. Brazoban’s shakiness that led to a demotion a day later was expected and didn’t end up hurting them. On Sunday, it was the home runs off of Jose Butto and then Edwin Diaz that attempted to spoil our weekends. Those two have been the most trusted members of the relief corps. Just bad enough to lose the Mets a game this time around, they had the exact opposite kind of day than Quintana did when he was barely good enough to deserve a win.

Pitching may ultimately be what helps or hurts the Mets most. Overachieving will steal wins we didn’t know they had in them. Performing to the mean will have them taking losses. Consider the rare blips by Butto and Diaz on Sunday as the law of averages getting put to work.

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