3 magnificent Mets trends from the Nationals sweep we must see continue versus the Phillies
The Mets stepped on the Nationals' throats. Bring some of that to the Phillies this weekend.
Put that in your pipe and smoke it. The New York Mets are so on fire, not even famous Hollywood stuntman Dar Robinson would be willing to match the amount of flames on this team right now.
Yeah, it’s a much different feeling today than it was over the weekend when the Mets lost the last two against the Philadelphia Phillies. Coming away with a late walk-off win against the Nationals followed by two games of annihilation, please excuse the indestructible good vibes around this team right now.
There is still work to be done. Against the Phillies for four more, the Mets need to continue these three magnificently positive trends.
1) The Mets pitching needs to remain stellar
Fist bumps all around to the pitching in those three games against the Nationals. The Mets allowed only 2 runs in their 3 games. You’re going to win a lot of games when your pitching is this sharp.
Leading the charge was the starting pitching. What else is new? Mets starters have been brilliant all month. Usual suspect Sean Manaea was awesome again on Monday. Tylor Megill stunned us yet again in Tuesday’s start by giving the Mets another solid outing. Then came Jose Quintana who led the way in their 10-0 victory to conclude the sweep.
Not only that, the Mets relievers did their job. This wasn’t a case like last Friday when the Mets beat up the Phillies only for Alex Young to remind us all why no lead should ever be considered safe.
Holding the Phillies at bay in Philadelphia is a challenge no one ever expected the Mets would be able to meet. The pitching did pretty well against them. Late collapses by the bullpen is what cost them along with a lack of scoring on Sunday. This leads into something else the Mets did well against the Nationals in at least one of their games.
2) The Mets need to remain a team that can spread out the runs or at least do it early
The Mets offense did everything they could to not win on Monday. A late run followed by the walk-off hit by Starling Marte helped the Mets end their losing streak and win the first against the Nationals. A day later, they managed to do something they haven’t done much of at all; they scattered their runs.
Their 10 runs were spread out nicely with 4 in the third, a run each in the fourth and fifth, 3 more in the sixth, and finally tallying one more in the eighth. They didn’t quit hitting. And with the early four-spot that came in response to the only run the Nationals scored on the night, the Mets earned some bonus points in this department.
Wednesday was a much different game with 9 scored in the fourth inning. They did it with a lot of hits rather than relying exclusively on the home run ball although Brandon Nimmo added a three-run home run as the biggest blow of all.
As daring as it is for the Mets to rely on one big inning to win, which was yet the case again Wednesday, there’s a difference between a 3-spot and scoring 9 times. One isn’t enough. The other is soul crushing to the other team.
3) The Mets need to show they can hit without Francisco Lindor
What’s the worst thing that could happen to the 2024 Mets? Losing Francisco Lindor for any period of time. They lost on Saturday without him. On Sunday, when he exited early, they lost again. He looked like the team leader both behind the scenes, on the field, and basically every statistic was indeed needed in order for this ball club to succeed.
They were able to quickly change the narrative. Monday was a challenge but Tuesday and Wednesday showed this team can hit even when their MVP is unavailable. Pete Alonso’s 5 RBI game and a showcase by rookie Luisangel Acuna provided magic on Tuesday. Let’s include the Francisco Alvarez home run in there, too. A day later, Mark Vientos might’ve broken out of his slump, too. In the absence of Lindor whether it extends into the Phillies series or not, the Mets were going to need the big guys to contribute. They did against Washington.
Not everyone has been able to join the hit parade. J.D. Martinez is in an epic slump. If there’s one guy this team could really use at the plate, it’s him.
Lindor is expected to return to the lineup at some point against the Phillies if not in the series opener. Even with him back in the lineup, he’s going to need help.