What’s Up with the Mets? ⚾️
The Mets walked off the Nationals on Saturday afternoon, 5-4 (box)
LHP Sean Manaea’s day started strong, but got away from him a bit in the later innings; he finished his day having allowed four runs on six hits (including two homers) and two walks, with seven strikeouts
RF Carson Benge had a productive day on both sides of the ball, going 1-for-2 with a homer and two walks at the dish and throwing out yet another runner at home
SS Francisco Lindor delivered the game-winning hit with one out in the bottom of the ninth; Lindor and 1B Jared Young each had two-hit days and were responsible for a pair of runs apiece
RHP Dedniel Núñez logged a perfect inning behind Manaea to set up LHP Jefry Yan for his first MLB win; Yan went 1.2 scoreless with three K’s
Who’s Hot 🥵
Carson Benge is hitting .368/.429/.596 with three homers, eight RBI and two steals in his last 15 games
Jared Young is hitting .320/.386/.520 with a homer, nine RBI, and two steals in his last 15 games
Francisco Lindor is hitting .305/.388 /.542 with four homers, nine RBI, and a stolen base in his last 15 games
Bo Bichette is hitting .300/.354/.467 with two homers, nine RBI in his last 15 games
Play of the Game ⭐️
As fun as it is to watch Carson Benge throw people out at home plate, a walk-off is a walk-off.
Down 4-3 entering their final frame with the bottom of their lineup due at the plate, Brett Baty worked a leadoff walk; that was quickly followed by a Jorge Polanco single. Francisco Álvarez followed that up with an RBI double to score Baty and push pinch runner Cristian Pache over to third.
Following an A.J. Ewing strikeout, Francisco Lindor stepped up in a now-tied game with one out. Four pitches later, he looped a 1-2 slider right over Dylan Crews’ head to score Pache and cement the W in the books.
The Just Mets Podcast 🎙️
ICYMI: On the latest edition of the Just Mets Podcast, Rich joined SNY’s Joe DeMayo to discuss the new influx of talent into the Mets farm system from the Trade Deadline.
SUBSCRIBE: YouTube | Apple Podcasts | Spotify
Down on the Farm 🌾
SS Jefferson Rojas (No. 1 prospect, Double-A): 2-for-5, R, 2 RBI, BB, K
2B Mitch Voit (No. 5 prospect, Double-A): 2-for-3, 2B, 3 R, 2 BB
1B Billy Amick (Double-A): 1-for-6, HR, R, 3 RBI, 2 K
RHP Jose Chirinos (High-A): 6.2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 5 K
LF Aiden Robbins (No. 11 prospect, Single-A): 3-for-4, HR, R, RBI, SB
BOX SCORES
Single-A SLU | High-A BRK | Double-A BNG | Triple-A SYR
Today’s Game 🗓
Match-up: Mets (54-69) vs. Nationals (60-64)
Where: Citi Field - Flushing, NY
Starters: RHP Christian Scott (3-3, 3.45 ERA) vs. RHP Jake Irvin (2-6, 5.79 ERA)
When: 1:40 PM EDT
Where to Watch: SNY
If he can be convinced, why not Andy Green for manager? ✍️
He may not be skipper for much longer, but there’s something about Andy Green’s stint as interim head honcho that feels like it has this team headed in a different direction.
It’s not as simple as his just being a different face and voice than Carlos Mendoza’s; if it were, the Mets probably wouldn’t have gone 13-18 between Green’s appointment and the trade deadline.
It’s also not just the recent surge in winning — a team playing free and easy after all of a season’s expectations have been abandoned probably could have been predicted, to an extent.
Perhaps eight wins in 11 games wasn’t on anyone’s bingo sheet for this particular Mets team, but it’s not remotely surprising to see guys starting to play a little looser when the pressure’s off. Rather, a sense of direction that had evaded this team for the bulk of the season seems to have crystallized in its final weeks, anchored by a throughline that extends from the dugout directly into the front office and down to the farm: that’s the Andy Green effect.
When Green’s interim appointment was first announced, David Stearns cited Green’s “familiarity with our players and our processes” as part of the “wealth of experience” that would set him up for success in this position. ‘Familiarity’ was putting it very lightly — Green’s overseen the entire farm system since 2024.
In his role, Green helped implement and oversee the pipeline that nurtured A.J. Ewing’s talent and developed him into a major leaguer in a year and a half; Green saw Carson Benge and Nolan McLean each commit to one side of the ball and dominate at it. He knew these players before most of New York did, and he watched the work that went into getting them here.
Those same players know and like him too. “He’s the man,” Scott said of his new manager. He credited Green with being attuned to the game’s modern evolutions and praised his abilities as a mentor and leader: “He has a lot of experience being a manager…He instilled that experience into the younger guys, especially in 2024 and ‘25. He encouraged me to be myself, not be anything different. He is great. I’m excited for us. I know he is going to help us win.”
Lately, winning’s just about all this team’s been doing.
Though he’s headed back to the front office this winter, Green now has a taste of how this team functions in literally all facets: on paper, on the field, and in the clubhouse. With firsthand knowledge of both the farm and the big league squad, Green is inherently equipped with a deeper understanding than maybe anyone else in management.
He knew what Ewing, Benge, McLean, Scott, Thornton and the rest of this group looked like before they got here; he knew the numbers, their potential, all of it. Now he’s seen how they handle in-game pressure, how they fit within a big league clubhouse, how they communicate and prepare, and how their development is continuing at the highest level. That depth of knowledge will be invaluable in the coming offseason, in particular: a team that’s undergone so much change and (reportedly) dealt with roster chemistry issues would surely benefit from some more holistic, well-informed decision-making.
‘Well-informed’ is a phrase that’s seemed to apply to Green from day one, particularly in front of the media. Where Carlos Mendoza often got flak for giving repetitive, generic answers in postgame comments, particularly towards the end of his time with the team, Green has often been the opposite, so thorough in his replies that it’s not uncommon for him to answer a follow-up question before it’s even been asked.
Though his managerial record in San Diego may not show it on the surface, Green knows ball. He’s very observant, quick to hold players accountable without throwing them under the bus and able to succinctly address areas of necessary improvement alongside issuances of praise. Whether in the dugout and clubhouse or overseeing your entire development pipeline, that’s the sort of personality you want among your organization’s leadership.
Now, does Green deserve all the credit for the team’s turnaround? No, of course not — guys also just finally started playing well for more than a game or two at a time.
But whether it’s slotting Benge in the cleanup spot, or working Kodai Senga into a totally new-look bullpen (that’s also freshly re-stocked with farm talent), Green has repeatedly demonstrated how his familiarity with this roster’s makeup can make the final weeks of 2026 interesting despite the Mets still being 14 games under .500.
So, as the 2026 season starts its steady roll towards September, with a looming lockout on the horizon, Green and his Mets are giving fans something to hope for. For maybe the first time since April, this team has been genuinely exciting to watch. As fun as Benge and Ewing have been since late spring, there’s a palpably different energy about this post-deadline group that’s both driving interest and results this team hasn’t seen in months at least.
With the fate of the 2027 still to be determined, we’ll see how much impact the Andy Green managerial experience has on roster construction and minor league assignments/promotions in the near future. But for now, the Mets have a steady hand at the helm, one who knows the full scope of the organization’s talent potential arguably better than anyone. The more layers you peel back, the clearer it is that Green was the right person to fill this very specific management role.
Maybe they can convince Green to stay on in this role? Why not? Sure, maybe they would want a higher profile in someone like Alex Cora, but why would he choose the Mets over a team like the Phillies right now, for instance?
And why fix what may not be broken anymore, for that matter, if they don’t have to? They have enough problems to worry about this winter - this doesn’t necessarily have to be one of them anymore.
Around the League 🚩
Cardinals rookie Joshua Báez became the first player in MLB history to hit three home runs in their major league debut (MLB.com)
Jacob Misiorowski counted Shohei Ohtani and Freddie Freeman among his six strikeouts as he led the Brewers to a 4-1 win in Los Angeles
The Blue Jays beat Cam Schlittler and the Yankees at home, 4-1, for their seventh win in their last nine games
Sonny Gray locked down his career-high 15th win of the season in a 4-0 win over Pittsburgh; Gray issued seven strikeouts and a single walk over seven scoreless frames
Angels lefty Reid Detmers struck out 11 Royals over eight scoreless innings in a 1-0 win
Jeff McNeil nearly hit for the cycle against Brandon Nimmo’s Rangers, settling for a 4-for-5 night with two doubles, a homer, and three RBI; the A’s beat Texas 8-3
Slightly off topic: Was I hallucinating or did Jared Young actually bunt for a base hit yesterday? When was the last time that *any* Met did that?
Who cares if someone has a bigger name ..Its who's doing the job and right now Andy is doing the job. I mean Soto isnt even in the lineup and they look like a much better team than 2 months ago. Replace Polanco with Soto and you've got a team.The difference in the ball club right noew is night and day. Benge is the new star..A met for life (hopefully) Lindor finally is healthy and he shows it everyday now . I say get a serious front line strter like Tarik Skubal and now we're talking..It also looks like we found a first baseman by accident in Young..I say keep him there.