NY Mets News: 2 players giving us hope, and 2 players making us depressed

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We are a week into the season, and the New York Mets have not had the start everyone hoped for. With the injury bug hitting the team and starting the season 3-4, the Mets have given very little for fans to cheer about up till this point.

After getting swept out of Milwaukee, it is clear that things need to turn around quickly, or else Mets fans will start losing their mind if they haven't already. After the first seven games, two players have given us hope that everything will be okay. But, at the same time, two others have made us shake our heads, asking what we did to deserve this.

NY Mets first baseman Pete Alonso is giving us hope

After a slow start to the season, the last game in Milwaukee showed us why Alonso is one of the best power hitters in baseball and why he's one of the most important hitters on this team. The Mets didn't get a single run across the plate in the first two games of the Milwaukee series, and when a slump like that happens, you look at the production of your best players.

Alonso was only hitting .136 through the first six games, and with the way the lineup is constructed, if he's not on, it's hard for the team to find power from others. But in their last game, Pete flexed his muscle. He went 2-4 with two HR and 4 RBI which is more like what we usually see from the polar bear.

There is no question that this lineup lacks power, and Alonso is the guy you think could hit one out of the yard every time he steps to the plate. The Mets' offense goes as far in part as Pete does, and seeing a performance like this reminds us how good of a hitter he is and gives us hope that he'll help this offense turns around.

NY Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor is giving us hope

Francisco Lindor is a fan favorite, and last year was a big reason why. After a not-so-good first year with the Mets, he rebounded nicely last year, hitting .270 with 26 HR and 107 RBI. He's one of the best players and baseball, and if a team wants to accomplish its goals for the season, you need a guy like Lindor to play to the back of his baseball card like he did last year and when he was in Cleveland.

Just like Alonso, Lindor was struggling mightily through the first six games. Not in the field, of course, as he proves day in and day out he's one of if not the best fielding shortstop in baseball. At the plate, though, it has been a different story as he was hitting a putrid .111 with no HR and only 1 RBI.

However, in their last game Lindor showed up and showed out as we all expected him to do eventually. Lindor went 3-4 with two doubles and 2 RBI in the series finally against the Brewers. Lindor like Alonso is the focal point of this offense and as we seen last season this offense goes as far as Alonso and Lindor take them.

You never want to put too much pressure on one or two guys, but with not adding vital offensive pieces in the offseason, Mets fans will always look at Lindor and Alonso. We all know what Lindor can do defensively and the type of hitter he is. So it was a matter of time until he woke up at the plate. Having a player like Lindor will always give a fanbase hope, and even though the Mets didn't win the series finale in Milwaukee, seeing Lindor do what he did was massive.

NY Mets pitcher Max Scherzer is making us depressed

I never thought I would talk about Max Scherzer in a negative way like this, but as of now, I have no choice. The Mets ace got lit up in Milwaukee as he only pitched 5.1 innings giving up 5 ER and 3 HR in the 9-0 blowout loss. After an outing like this, some wonder, should we worry about Max? Is he washed, and is his age catching up to him? While I don't believe that's the case, he has had a bad start to the season and needs to turn it around quickly.

Scherzer had a good first year with the Mets; he went 11-5 last year with a 2.29 ERA. He also had a couple of stints on the IL, but the final and most frustrating image of him last year was game 1 of the Wild Card series against the San Diego Padres. He gave up 7 ER over 4.2 IP, and it looks like he has started right where he left off, unfortunately, this year.

With co-ace Justin Verlander on the shelf for the time being, Max needs to carry this rotation. So far, Max is 1-1 with a 6.35 ERA, which is not what fans expected from him. Look, he's human and bad starts will happen, and I fully believe he will turn it around. But, he is held to a different standard than most pitchers in baseball and especially by Mets fans.

NY Mets third baseman Eduardo Escobar is making us depressed

Escobar has upset fans from the start of the week-long seasonThis one might strike a chord with most Mets fans, and I don't blame them. Perhaps the player that has frustrated us most is third baseman Eduardo Escobar. From the start of the week-long season, Escobar has upset fans for two reasons. First, he has been awful at the plate, and everyone believes that spot should be Brett Baty's.

Escobar's first season with the Mets was mediocre at best. He hit .240 with 20 HR and 69 RBI. He was inconsistent throughout the whole season but had a big last month. We hoped he could continue that momentum into this season, but that has not been the case.

In 20 at-bats this season, Escobar is hitting .100 with no HR or RBI. He has been bad from both sides of the plate, and at this point, after being given a few games off, it's looking more like a platoon situation with him and infielder Luis Guillorme. Everyone has been asking for them to bring up Brett Baty, who should have made the team from the jump, and when you look at him raking in AAA Syracuse, it just frustrates Mets fans.

Escobar is a great clubhouse guy, and his teammates seem to like and gravitate toward him. However, his play on the field has been inexcusable, and if he doesn't turn it around quickly, he will be on the bench more often than not.

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