The Mets continue to claw back toward .500 with a series win against the Kansas City Royals at Citi Field, winning 2 out of 3. Up next for the 7-8 Mets as they finish up their homestand are the 11-5 Pittsburgh Pirates.
The Mets are putting together gutsy wins and have shown themselves to be a very resilient team. After a brutal 0-5 start, the Mets have gone 7-3 since. It is important to note that the schedule to start the year for the Amazin’s has been tough. The Mets’ opponents so far (the first place 10-4 Brewers, the 9-6 Tigers, the 9-6 Reds, the first place 9-5 Braves and the 10-6 Royals) are a combined 47-27, good for a .635 winning percentage. Entering play on April 14th, despite a 6-8 record the Mets were ranked 5th according to ESPN’s Relative Power Index (RPI, which takes into account a team’s winning percentage, opponents’ winning percentage, and opponents’ opponents’ winning percentage).
Pete Alonso continues to make his case for a big contract this offseason, when he is set to hit free agency. Alonso had 3 more HR’s in the Royals series, bringing his total to 6 through 15 games. He is on pace for 64 HR’s, which will drive up his price but hopefully owner Steve Cohen will get his checkbook out in the offseason to keep the Polar Bear in Queens long-term.
The rubber match of the Royals series was extremely fitting. Before the game started, Dwight Gooden (Dr. K) was honored with his number 16 being retired that I wrote about here. After a short weather-driven delay to the start of the game, under the watch of Doc’s #16 in the rafters, the crowd was treated to an old-fashioned pitchers duel that the Mets won 2-1, securing the series win by the same tally.
Kansas City Royals Series – Key Takeaways
The Mets brought the momentum from Atlanta back home to Citi Field, and took the series 2 games to 1 against a strong Kansas City Royals team that came in winners of 7 in a row. The Mets have seemingly hit their stride, despite some lingering injury concerns. Kodai Senga, the Mets’ ace, has not yet thrown a pitch in a game this season and is on the Injured List (IL) until May 27th at the earliest. J.D. Martinez, the All Star and DH that was signed right at the end of Spring Training, has received a cortisone shot for his back and will pick up baseball activities again on Monday.
Here are 3 Key Takeaways from the series:
The Killer B’s: The Mets take turns being a particular game’s hero, and were led by a few stars/budding stars throughout the Royals series. Here are some that stood out, all with B’s in their names:
– Brett Baty: A highlight of the season so far has been the continued development of Brett Baty at 3B. He has come up with timely hits, is solid in the field, and genuinely seems to enjoy playing the game. He seems to have learned a lot from Francisco Lindor, who has proven to be a positive influence on the youngster. The Mets have been searching for a solution at the hot corner since David Wright, and while it is still early, Baty could find himself being the answer. He is currently batting .315 with 1 HR, 9 RBI, and a .751 OPS.
– Harrison Bader: While his defense was never a question, Bader has also provided a few timely hits. He broke up a no-hitter against the Detroit Tigers earlier this season. In Sunday’s game against the Royals, he delivered an infield hit in the bottom of the 8th to break a scoreless tie. Bader has a .302 average on the year with a .621 OPS. Room for improvement, particularly in OPS, but providing Gold Glove-caliber defense and holding down the #9 spot in the lineup both mean he is providing value to the Mets.
– Jose Butto: Sometimes in sports, the best ability is availability. With Kodai Senga and Tylor Megill both injured, Butto has taken advantage of his opportunities. In the rubber match against the Royals, Butto did Dr. K proud on the day Doc Gooden’s number was retired. Over 6 innings he shut out the Royals while giving up only 2 hits and a walk to go along with 9 strikeouts. On the season, Butto has an ERA of 0.75 while striking out 15 over 12 innings.
Lindor’s Ovation: One of the questions coming into the series was the reception that Francisco Lindor would receive from the Flushing Faithful. The 18,000+ plus fans in attendance on Friday night did give Lindor a warm welcome and it was noticed. He was thankful for the fans’ support after the game. However, his production on the field is still catching up. His average is up, but only to .129, with an OPS of .430. As of now, manager Carlos Mendoza has left him in the 3 hole in the lineup, but the Mets need greater production from that slot. I still believe it’s a matter of when, not if, he hits his stride.
The Starting Pitching: This will be a constant takeaway and area to watch as the rotation remains in flux. In Game 1 of the series, Luis Severino provided a spark and won his first game as a Met with 5 innings of 1 hit, 1 ER ball. Game 2 saw Sean Manaea come crashing back down to earth. Again, it’s early in the season and one start needs to be taken for what it’s worth (one start). However, after getting roughed up for 8 runs (6 earned) and 9 hits over 3.2 innings, his ERA rose from 0.82 coming in to the game to 4.30 by the end. His next expected start would be a challenging one, on Friday in Los Angeles against the Dodgers. In Game 3, as noted above, Jose Butto channeled his inner Doc Gooden to deliver the series victory to the Mets.
Who’s Next: Pittsburgh Pirates
Up next are the 11-5 Pittsburgh Pirates, coming to Citi Field for a 3-game set. The Pirates just split a series in Philadelphia against the Phillies. Pittsburgh started the year strong, sweeping the Marlins in a 4-game series, then taking 2 out of 3 from the Nationals and 2 of 3 from the Orioles. Here are a few players to watch:
Bryan Reynolds: An All-Star in 2021, the right fielder is currently hitting .254 in 2024 with 2 HR and 11 RBI. He is somewhat familiar with the Mets’ Game 1 starter, Adrian Houser, accumulating 21 at-bats vs. Houser in his career and batting .286 with a double and a home run.
Michael Taylor: A Gold Glove-winning outfielder (in 2021 with the Royals), Taylor has batted .318 with 0 HR and 6 RBI, and his OPS is .733 so far in 2024. He spent the first 7 years of his career in the NL East with the Washington Nationals. There are very small samples against all 3 projected starters for the Mets in the series (Adrian Houser, Jose Quintana and Luis Severino), but of note he is 2-2 vs. Severino with a home run.
The 2024 Mets continue to fight to get back to .500 and the team has won its last 3 series. This 3-game set against the Pirates will not be a walk in the park, but the Mets will look to continue their winning ways before heading out West. As always, Let’s Go Mets!
Are you wondering how the Mets farm teams are doing? You can have all those questions answered here in a recent article.
Stats by espn.com
By : Jason Krom
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