The Mets are squarely in the Wild Card hunt heading into the 2024 All-Star Break, which is a win for the franchise and its fans, especially after beginning the season with a record of 0-5.
Following the series win over the Rockies, where they won two of three games, the Mets record of 49-46 is good for the third Wild Card spot in the National League despite trailing the NL East-leading Phillies by 12.5 games.
The Mets have used an all hands on deck approach through the first half, and that was on display in the series against Colorado. There was a lot of power on display in the series, on both sides.
In the second game of the series, Dedniel Nunez picked up his first career save and became the ninth pitcher to earn a save for the Mets this season.
Jose Iglesias, of Candelita record artist fame with his OMG single, had two home runs in the first game of the series, and went four for four in the third game. Iglesias, a journeyman middle infielder, seems to have found a home in Queens.
Mark Vientos, who was disappointed in starting the season in the minor leagues while Brett Baty was the starting third baseman for the big league club, has made the most of his opportunity and will not likely give up the hot corner. He delivered a home run and RBI double in the series kickoff.
Here is a rundown of each game of the Colorado series:
Game 1: Mets 7, Rockies 6
The Mets hit a season-high five home runs, with two each by Harrison Bader and Iglesias. This backed up a strong seven inning start by Sean Manaea, while the bullpen almost gave the lead back before Edwin Diaz came in to finish the 7-6 victory. It was a home run derby primer at Citi Field, with the Mets hitting those five home runs and the Rockies hitting four. Only one of the 13 runs in this game was not due to a home run. Manager Carlos Mendoza was ejected for the first time as Mets manager, defending Iglesias after a questionable strikeout.
In addition to the four combined home runs by Bader and Iglesias, Vientos hit another solo homer in combination with an RBI double. Bader’s RBI total on the day was three, with Iglesias and Vientos driving in two each. Bader is quietly having a solid first half for the Mets, and at the end of this game his average for the season is .278 with eight home runs and 36 RBIs. This is good production from the number nine hitter in the lineup. The Bader signing was a good one by David Stearns, and the Gold Glove-caliber defense is icing on the cake. J.D. Martinez struggled, going hitless in three at-bats, with three strikeouts.
On the mound, Manaea went seven solid innings, throwing a season-high 107 pitches. Kudos to Mendozafor listening to Manaea’s feedback about wanting to go longer in games. It paid off, and given the continued struggles of the bullpen, it was necessary. In his seven innings, he surrendered three runs on five hits with one walk while striking out nine. He finishes a solid first half at 6-3 with a 3.46 ERA. The Manaea signing was another solid pickup by Stearns. Where Stearns has work to do heading toward the All-Star break is the bullpen. Jake Diekman started the eighth inning with a four run lead, and gave up a home run before putting a runner at third with one out. Phil Maton came on to record the second out before giving up a two-run home run to cut the lead to 7-6. He did get a strike out to end the eighth before Diaz took the ninth inning for his 10th save of the season.
The Rockies, to their credit, did not give up in this game. They must have read the scouting report about the bullpen of the Mets. Colorado actually scored first, courtesy of a second inning two-run home run by Michael Toglia. Solo home runs by Brendan Rodgers in the seventh inning and Charlie Blackmon in the eighth, as well as an eighth inning two-run homer by Brenton Doyle represented all of Colorado’s runs.
Tanner Gordon made his second career start for the Rockies, facing off against the deep Mets lineup. In three-plus innings, Gordon was charged with six runs on eight hits with two walks and three strikeouts. Peter Lambert (3.2 innings, one run), Justin Lawrence (0.1 innings, no runs), and Nick Mears (one shutout inning) went the rest of the way for Colorado.
Game 2: Mets 7, Rockies 3
With another win, the Mets moved to four games above .500, tying a season-high mark. Francisco Lindor provided a big three-run home run, and Jose Butto continued to excel out of the bullpen, rewarded with the win.
The Mets offense was very efficient, scoring their seven runs on only six hits, with patience at the plate leading to six walks. Out of the leadoff spot, Lindor continues to excel. In addition to his three-run homer, he walked twice. The legend of Luis Torrens continues to grow as well, as he was one for three with an RBI and two runs scored. He also threw out an attempted base stealer. After a stretch where he was out of this world, Brandon Nimmo returned to earth a bit, delivering a hit but striking out three times. He has still hit safely in his last eight games.
Rookie Christian Scott got the start for the Mets, and had a start one would expect from a rookie not named Paul Skenes. Over 4.1 innings, he gave up three runs on seven hits and a walk to go along with five strikeouts. Butto came on in relief to induce an inning-ending double play in the fifth to qualify himself for the win. He went 2.2 innings overall, surrendering only one hit, and Nunez pitched the eighth and ninth innings, without giving up a hit or walk, to get his first career save.
For the Rockies, the trend from the first game of the series continued, as all of their runs were scored courtesy of the long ball. Blackmon homered for the second straight game at Citi Field, with a two-run shot in the fifth. This followed a solo home run by Jake Cave in the third inning. Ezequiel Tovar and Sam Hilliard had multi-hit games, with two each, for Colorado.
Ryan Feltner started for the Rockies, and got off to a very good start by striking out the side in the first inning. From there, it became a challenge for him. The final line for Feltner was four runs (three earned) on two hits and five walks with seven strikeouts over 3.2 innings. The loss moved his record on the season to 1-9 with an ERA of 5.36. Four relievers followed Feltner. Lawrence made another appearance, going 1.1 shutout innings. Tyler Kinley was up next and tossed a shutout sixth. Victor Vodnik then gave up two runs over 1.1 innings, though the charged runs scored against Jalen Beeks who surrendered the three-run shot to Lindor. Beeks was charged with one earned run over 0.2 innings.
Game 3: Rockies 8, Mets 5
It was the Rockies turn to power up. Colorado hit like they were back at Coors Field, hitting six home runs in this game. Jose Quintana was hit hard by the Rockies, while Iglesias continued carving out a more permanent niche with the Mets. Toglia hit three home runs and Tovar had two for Colorado.
The four for four performance by Iglesias raised his average to .380. Alonso, from the Designated Hitter spot, had one hit which was a two-run homer, his 19th home run of the season. Lindor also contributed two hits and walked twice from the leadoff spot. Francisco Alvarez struck out three times on his way to a one for five day.
On the mound, Quintana followed up two great starts against the Nationals with a clunker against the Rockies heading into the All-Star break. He allowed four home runs, and his stat line covered 5.2 innings where he allowed five runs on six hits with one walk and eight strikeouts. After Maton finished the sixth with a strikeout, before Adrian Houser gave up three runs over two innings and Danny Young a scoreless ninth.
Between Toglia and Tovar, the Rockies had five home runs and seven RBIs. There is not much more to say about the offensive output for Colorado. Blackmon had two hits, and Ryan McMahon and Doyle one each. McMahon and Sean Bouchard each struck out three times.
Despite the win, the bullpen for the Rockies was taxed again in this game. Starter German Marquez only went four innings. This was Marquez’s first start of the season and first start since April 2023 following Tommy John surgery. He threw 70 pitches. Marquez was charged with three runs on five hits with four walks and three strikeouts. Lawrence followed with a scoreless fifth inning, Tyler Kinley a scoreless sixth, and Mears a scoreless seventh. Beeks followed and was charged with two runs in 0.1 innings. Vodnik went the final 1.2 innings to pick up his second save of the season.
Looking Ahead
MLB is now on its All-Star break. Alonso will represent the team in the Home Run Derby, looking for his third victory in the event. Iglesias will also be part of the All-Star, festivities but not playing baseball. He, as Candelita, will be performing his single OMG. Alonso was the only Mets player named to play in the game, with Lindor and Nimmo being the most notable snubs.
The Mets will be back in action starting on Friday with a four-game series in Miami against the Marlins. Miami exits the first half with a record of 33-63, which is 29 games behind the Philadelphia Phillies in the NL East, and 16.5 games behind the Mets for the final Wild Card spot in the National League.
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