In what ended up being an eventful series for the Mets against the Arizona Diamondbacks, there was injury news, there was a number retirement, and there were some interesting roster moves.
For those that have watched the Mets for a long time, it seems all par for the course. On the field, they split the series after taking the first two games. The last game was lost in heartbreaking fashion, 5-4 after “Closer for the day” Jake Diekman surrendered a two-run home run in the top of the ninth. This was the sixth loss for the Mets when leading after eight innings since May 1st. No other team in the league has two such losses over that span. For this season, the series leaves the Mets at 24-35.
On the injury front, after getting hit in the hand with a pitch in the series finale against the Dodgers, Pete Alonso dodged a bullet and is healthy. Closer Edwin Diaz remains out but the bullpen did receive some reinforcements on Sunday with Drew Smith being activated.
The Mets retired #18 on Saturday. That number will forever belong to Darryl Strawberry in Mets lore. Unfortunately, after Strawberry emotionally thanked the fans, told them he was sorry he ever left, and told the current Mets how lucky they are to be playing in front of the Flushing Faithful, the Mets put up a stinker in the ensuing two contests to split the series.
The front office, led by David Stearns, made their presence known right before and during this series too. Not surprisingly, the team DFA’d Jorge Lopez after his glove-tossing meltdown and ejection against the Dodgers. With Smith reactivated, Josh Walker was sent down. More interestingly, the team optioned Brett Baty and Christian Scott to the minors.
These moves certainly raised some eyebrows. While Baty was slumping at the plate, he was providing solid defense at third. Mark Vientos takes over as the everyday third baseman. Christian Scott has been an impressive rookie starter for the Mets and will most certainly be back with the big league club at some point, as will Baty.
With that, below is a rundown of key stats from each of the games against the Diamondbacks.
Game 1: Mets 3, Diamondbacks 2
Coming off a sweep at the hands of the Los Angeles Dodgers, the Mets looked to get this series started against the Diamondbacks right. Francisco Lindor and J.D. Martinez drove in the Mets runs with Christian Scott looking strong despite missing out on his first win against what amounted to a bullpen game from the Diamondbacks.
Lindor, fresh off the Players Meeting he called after the Dodgers sweep, walked the talk in Game 1 of the Series. The $300 million-plus shortstop went four for four with a home run, two RBIs and a run. After starting the year struggling to get to a .200 average, he has started his annual ascent to his baseball card stats. He is up to .225 with nine home runs and 28 RBIs. Martinez crushed a solo homer in the bottom of the eight inning to provide the game-winning run.
Scott is still looking for his first big league win but pitched well enough to do so. Despite only going 5 innings over 91 pitches, he surrendered only two runs on four hits and a walk to go along with four strikeouts. His current season stats stand at a record of 0-2 with an ERA of 3.90. The bullpen held the Diamondbacks hitless over the last four frames. New jack of all trades Adrian Houser went the sixth and seventh, followed by Danny Young who pitched the eighth and picked up his second win. Closer for the day Reed Garrett pitched the ninth to pick up his third save of the year.
For the Diamondbacks, the lineup only produced only four hits on the day. After taking a 2-0 lead in the top of the third on a Ketel Marte two-RBI double, Mets pitching held them scoreless the rest of the way.
The Arizona bullpen was taxed more than the Mets bullpen in this game, and that is saying something. Ace Zac Gallen left after throwing only six pitches due to an injury. Six Diamondback relievers went the necessary eight innings.
Game 2: Mets 10, Diamondbacks 9
In what should have been a pitchers duel pitting former Yankees teammates Luis Severino against Jordan Montgomery, the bats lit up Citi Field from early on as the Mets came back and then held on for a 10-9 win. David Stearns and the front office also reminded everyone they were still there, making a series of roster moves mentioned above.
Offensively, the Mets drove in 10 runs on 14 hits. J.D. Martinez homered for the second game in a row with a two-run opposite field shot, and Starling Marte wiped out a 3-0 deficit in the bottom of the first, tying it with a triple. Marte finished with four RBIs on the day. Newly-named starting third baseman Mark Vientos was strong at the plate, going three for five with two RBIs. Every member of the Mets lineup delivered a hit in what was a very balanced attack.
On the mound, Luis Severino gutted his way through 5.1 innings of work, showing the benefit of having a battle-tested veteran serving as the team’s de-facto ace. He gave up five runs (four earned) on six hits and a walk to go along with four strikeouts. Dedniel Nunez and Jake Diekman held down the fort through the seventh. Sean Reid-Foley made it through the eighth but ran into some trouble in the ninth. After getting the first out, he gave up an infield single and a walk. With the Mets leading 10-5, manager Carlos Mendoza opted to go with Closer for the day Reed Garrett to end it. He got a ground out to first base for the second out, followed by a three run home run by Joc Pederson and a solo shot by Christian Walker. Garrett then refocused to strikeout the final batter and preserve the Mets 10-9 win.
The Diamondbacks brought the power bats in this one. As mentioned above, Pederson hit a big three run homer and drove in four in total. In addition to Pederson’s and Walker’s ninth inning homers, Eugenio Suarez had a solo home run in the sixth inning. In all the Arizona lineup delivered nine runs on nine hits.
Montgomery’s less than stellar history against the Mets, and at Citi Field, continued in this game. Going only four innings, he gave up eight runs (six earned) on nine hits and three walks to go along with four strikeouts. After signing a one-year $25 million deal (with a $25 million option for 2025), Montgomery holds a 3-3 record with a 5.48 ERA. Logan Allen went the last four innings, giving up two runs on five hits.
Game 3: Diamondbacks 10, Mets 5
On the day the Mets retired the #18 of Darryl Strawberry, the Diamondbacks seemed to be the more inspired of the teams, delivering a decisive 10-5 victory over the Mets. The Diamondbacks overcame another injury to a pitcher during this game, and were propelled by a grand slam to start the game’s scoring.
For the Mets at the plate, Francisco Lindor continued to walk the talk after calling a team meeting after the Dodgers series, as his one for three performance pushed his hitting streak to 11 games. His average is now up to .231 with an OPS of .699. Entering the ninth inning down 10-1, Tomas Nido drove in the second run with an RBI groundout, Jose Iglesias had an RBI infield single and Pete Alonso hit a two-run home run to get within 10-5 which was the final. Mark Vientos had a solo homer in the fifth, and since being named the starting third basemen the game before, has now gone five for nine with a home run and three RBIs over those two games.
Sean Manaea started for the Mets and went 5.2 innings, surrendering six runs (five earned) on six hits and two walks to go along with ten strikeouts. The difference maker was a first inning grand slam by Christian Walker. Manaea now has a 3-2 record with a 3.63 ERA on the season. Josh Walker had a tough outing from the bullpen, giving up four runs on five hits in 2.1 innings. Danny Young finished it off with a scoreless ninth.
Seven of nine Diamondbacks batters delivered hits, highlighted by Walker’s first inning grand slam and Corbin Carroll driving in two additional runs. Despite striking out 13 times (Walker having three of them), Arizona made the most of their 11 hits as they plated 10 runs.
Getting the start for the Diamondbacks was Slade Cecconi and he went 4.2 innings giving up only one run on five hits. Brandon Hughes ran into some trouble in the ninth, which necessitated manager Torey Lovullo to go to closer Paul Sewald to seal the win.
Game 4: Diamondbacks 5, Mets 4
The Mets ended the series with the Diamondbacks in heartbreaking fashion. In a contest that was not the best showing by either team, Arizona outlasted the Mets with Ketel Marte delivering a go-ahead two-run home run in the top of the ninth.
For the Mets, Luis Torrens made his debut after being acquired in a trade with the Yankees for cash considerations. The hitting streak that Francisco Lindor brought into the game at 11 ended. All the Mets runs were scored in the third as Pete Alonso started off the scoring with an RBI single. Brandon Nimmo delivered a (Diamondbacks poor defense-assisted) RBI triple to drive in two more, and J.D. Martinez capped the scoring with another RBI triple to drive in Nimmo.
On the mound, Jose Quintana got the start for the Mets and it was a grind for him. There was definitely an adjustment with Quintana throwing to a new catcher in Torrens. He shook off signals on multiple occasions, which could disrupt a pitcher’s rhythm. By the end of his day he went four innings and gave up three runs on four hits with three walks and four strikeouts. The bullpen seemed back to normal and had a good day. With Diaz still out, the new day meant a new closer with Jake Diekman doing the honors in this game with Garrett pitching a scoreless seventh and Adam Ottavino a scoreless eighth. In his third save opportunity of the year, Diekman promptly gave up a leadoff double followed by a go-ahead home run by Ketel Marte.
For Arizona, the scoring came early. Two of the first three batters (Ketel Marte and Lourdes Gurriel, Jr.) hit solo home runs, with Marte delivering the difference maker in the ninth as well. Kevin Newman delivered an RBI in the second.
Brandon Pfaadt started for the Diamondbacks and other than the fateful third inning, had a strong performance over six innings. Justin Martinez provided two solid innings of relief out of the bullpen.
Krom’s Korner
With Strawberry’s number retirement finished, the second and last one of 2024, conversation quickly shifts to who could be next. While a case can be made for many former Mets, there are three Amazin’ Mets who should be considered for the honor in 2025 or soon after.
- David Wright – While Wright never celebrated a World Series title as a Met, and will not likely be a Hall of Famer, he was the Captain of the team and represented the team extremely well. He is second in team history (to Strawberry) with 242 home runs and the teams all-time leader with 970 RBIs and 390 doubles. Across 1,585 games as a Met, with a .296 average. In his career, which was all spent with the Mets, he was a seven-time All-Star, and won two Gold Glove and two Silver Slugger awards.
- Gary Carter – The heart and soul of the 1986 Mets championship team, “The Kid” is #1 or #1a when it comes to most popular catchers in team history (with Mike Piazza). Despite only spending five of his 19 career seasons in a Mets uniform, he left an indelible mark on the franchise. He made the All-Star team in four of the five years he was with the Mets and was a two-time Silver Slugger award winner. Despite the strong numbers, Carter’s greatest value was seen through his intangibles. Both Dwight Gooden and Strawberry called out The Kid as a primary reason they were both so successful.
- Carlos Beltran – While Beltran has run into some controversy based on his time with the Houston Astros and their sign-stealing scheme, he was a solid Met. Of the trio mentioned here, Beltran has the best chance of making the Hall of Fame. If he does, there is a good chance he does so as a Met which should make his case for number retirement more solid. In the seven years he was with the Mets, Beltran batted .280 with 149 home runs and 559 RBIs, and an OPS of .869. He represented the Mets five times as an All-Star, and won three Gold Gloves and two Silver Sluggers while in Queens.
It is hard to go wrong with any of these Mets legends getting their number retired. It will be fascinating to see how Steve Cohen handles this decision. Either way, the fans have really enjoyed seeing more players getting their numbers forever enshrined in the rafters.
Written by: Jason Krom
Stats by espn.com and baseball-reference.com
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