For a day at least, the Mets reminded us they’re capable of doing this
The offense exploded while Clay Holmes and the bullpen stayed cool as the Mets snapped another losing streak on Tuesday
What’s Up with the Mets? ⚾️
The Mets blanked the Washington Nationals on Tuesday night, 8-0 (box)
RHP Clay Holmes set the tone early, throwing six scoreless frames with six strikeouts against just three hits and one walk
3B Bo Bichette got the Mets’ scoring started early with a homer on the first pitch he saw from beleaguered Nats starter Zack Littell; Bichette added another RBI in the fourth
The Mets broke the game open with a seven-run fourth inning on a rally started by 2B Marcus Semien
CF/LF Carson Benge continued his recent resurgence with a two-hit, two-RBI night
DH Juan Soto hit a two-run homer to tack on to the scoring deluge
RHP Tobias Myers and RHP Craig Kimbrel combined for five strikeouts and a walk over three scoreless innings to finish the game
Roster Moves 📰
RHP Kodai Senga placed on the IL, lumbar spine inflammation
RHP Christian Scott was recalled from Triple-A
RHP Joey Gerber was sent to Triple-A for a rehab assignment
Injury Updates 🏥
RHP Kodai Senga (lumbar spine inflammation) received an epidural and will not throw for 7-10 days before reassessment
CF Luis Robert Jr. (lower back tightness) is listed as day-to-day
LF Juan Soto (right forearm tightness) is receiving treatment after an MRI revealed no structural damage; he is cleared to swing and will continue to DH
1B/DH Jorge Polanco (left Achilles bursitis/right wrist contusion) is “running at about 80%” per Carlos Mendoza; there is still no timeline on his return to play
The Just Mets Podcast 🎙️
BONUS EPISODE! Join Rich and special guest James Schiano of the Mets’d Up podcast as they commiserate about this team’s race to rock bottom.
SUBSCRIBE: YouTube | Apple Podcasts | Spotify
Play of the Game 🌟
After Bo Bichette’s first-pitch homer in the first inning, the Mets recorded eight consecutive outs. It looked like fans were in for another night of minimal scoring. And as Marcus Semien strode to the plate with the bases loaded and one out, it still felt that way.
Then, this happened.
Staring down a 1-2 count, Semien slapped a splitter from Littell straight at Nats third baseman Jorbit Vivas’s glove — but then Jorbit Vivas turned into Jorbit Buckner. Vivas misplayed the ball on the hop, letting it slip under his glove and slide into left field. Two runs scored, with five more to follow in the inning off the bats of Benge, Bichette, and Soto.
Who’s Hot 🥵
Carson Benge is hitting .368/.368/.579 with a double, a homer, four runs scored, three RBI, and a stolen base over his last seven games
Bo Bichette is hitting .308/.345/.500 with two doubles, a homer, five runs scored, five RBI, a stolen base, and two walks against four strikeouts in his last seven games
Juan Soto is hitting .300/.407/.460 with 15 hits, two homers, four runs scored, seven RBI, and nine walks against eight strikeouts in his first 50 ABs of the season
Down on the Farm 🌾
CF A.J. Ewing (No. 3 prospect, Triple-A): 3-for-4, 2B, 3B, 2 R, 2 RBI, BB
1B Ryan Clifford (No. 4 prospect, Triple-A): 1-for-5, HR, R, 2 RBI, K
RF Cristian Pache (Triple-A): 3-for-4, HR, 3 R, RBI
3B Christian Arroyo (Triple-A): 2-for-4, HR, R, 3 RBI, K
BOX SCORES
Single-A SLU (OFF) | High-A BRK | Double-A BNG | Triple-A SYR
Today’s Game 🗓
Match-up: Mets (10-19) vs. Nationals (13-17)
Where: Citi Field - Flushing, NY
Starters: LHP David Peterson (0-3, 5.06 ERA) vs. RHP Cade Cavalli (0-1, 4.01 ERA)
When: 7:10 PM EDT
Where to Watch: SNY
For one night anyway, the Mets were flawless ✍️
Now that is how you start a series.
The badly bleeding Mets took a step towards recovery on Tuesday night. Another shutdown start from Clay Holmes was supported by an eruption of runs from an offense that has seemed utterly unable to uncork its seismic potential.
And it’s because the Mets addressed some issues.
When asked by team reporter Chelsea Janes pregame if any specifics had been addressed to help turn the offense around, Carlos Mendoza said he’s emphasized getting back to basics and prioritizing the things that got these guys into the big leagues — like hitting fastballs.
This season, the Mets have fared horribly against heaters. Just last week, Buster Olney pointed out that the Mets ranked 30th in MLB in OPS against four-seamers, two-seamers, and cutters (.640) and in run value on pitches thrown at or above 97 mph (-6). While I couldn’t find the updated numbers in the wake of the Rockies sweep, I can’t imagine they got any better.
Yesterday, the Mets flipped that script on its head, registering five hits on fastballs against a single whiff and a called strike three. All five batted balls were hard-hit, and two of them left the yard off the bats of Bichette and Soto.
If this team is going to thrive in any way this season, it will be because they’ve remastered the basics.
On offense, yesterday’s game was all about getting back to what works:
Not Chasing: Entering the evening, the Mets were chasing roughly 30% of the pitches they were swinging at. That’s not the league’s worst rate, but it’s certainly not optimal for a hopeful turnaround. Last night, chase swings only accounted for 15.8% of the Mets’ team swing profile.
Staying Patient: In a nightly effort to battle their way back on the scoreboard, the Mets have been seeing increasingly fewer pitches, averaging less than four pitches per plate appearance. That’s resulted in a minuscule 7.8% walk rate, 27th in MLB. Last night, the Mets walked five times (13.8% of plate appearances) and struck out three times (8.3%), a much better recipe for success.
Swinging Smarter: For all this season’s early lack of offense, it sure isn’t for lack of swinging. Mets hitters entered Tuesday with a collective 49% swing rate, an approach that clearly hasn’t been working too well. Last night, they swung at just 42% of pitches seen, even more choosy than the most selective team in MLB (Yankees, 42.8%). The result: a puny 7.6% whiff rate, 10 hard hit balls, and eight runs on six hits.
Keeping the Ball Up: Throughout this endless month of August, the Mets have generated a 44.3% ground ball rate, ninth-highest in baseball. That’s been accompanied by very underwhelming line drive and fly ball data, despite the Mets making hard contact at a solid clip. Last night, the Mets put less than 30% of batted balls on the ground, with 52% being hit into the air. A steady trend away from hard-hit grounders should naturally result in more run production over time; they just need to actually sustain that trend.
All pretty fundamental stuff, sure — but batter’s box basics have eluded Mets hitters for weeks. If a meeting was held recently that suddenly has these players’ heads collectively recentered at the dish, awesome. Whatever it takes to get these guys to commit to something that works, do it.
The Mets’ pitching was just as good as their hitting yesterday, led by the Alabama Slammer himself, Clay Holmes.
Holmes has been on an absolute tear to start his 2026 campaign, and the Mets should be thanking whatever lucky stars they have that he’s on this team. Through his first six starts, Holmes has a 1.75 ERA with a 0.97 WHIP. In 36 innings, he’s held hitters to a .186 batting average. All of those numbers are career bests.
And yet, as dialed in as he’s looked all season, Holmes turned in arguably his best performance of the season on Tuesday night:
Holmes attacked the zone with his entire repertoire, finishing his night with a 68% strike rate over 94 pitches. Save for two wayward cutters, he threw all of his shapes for strikes regularly, with his sinker, sweeper, and curveball each eliciting a 70% rate. Just about everything was working the way he wanted, and he was able to get strikeouts both in and out of the zone with equal frequency as a result.
None of this excellence should really surprise anyone. After a debut starting campaign in which he led the team in starts and wins, Holmes flashed glimpses of his revamped arsenal and the enhanced command of his pitch set during the WBC. In his single appearance, Holmes’s stuff absolutely dominated the Brits, yielding a 44% whiff rate that led to six strikeouts over three scoreless frames. He was similarly efficient in the Grapefruit League, pitching to a 2.84 ERA in his 12.2 innings, with 13 strikeouts against just three walks. Starter Clay Holmes has fully arrived, and he’s doing everything he can to make sure that’s clear.
If his season continues on its present trajectory, Holmes is pacing towards what should be a far-and-away career-best year. For it to be happening in just his second full season as a starter, at 33 years old, in the midst of an all-time awful stretch of losing? Well, that’s Mets baseball.
Now, as sweet as this victory tastes, it’s still but a drop in a desperately empty bucket.
The Mets played a functionally flawless game last night…that does not mean it’s the new standard. One offensive outburst does not a winning streak make, as this team has demonstrated that time and time (and time) again. There’s a lot of work left to do, and a lot of trust to be earned back, if they can do it at all. The plate discipline needs to be there in crunch time, not just with a comfortable lead; well-struck batted balls need to be hit in the air and on a line more consistently over the next 133 games.
However, at least they reminded us — and the rest of the league, and themselves — that they’re capable of doing this at all, let alone while not at full strength.
Yesterday was a good win and a necessary step in the right direction. But it was one step on a very long road, and they cannot stop now.
Around the League 🚩
After their own 9-19 start to the season, the Phillies fired manager Rob Thomson; Don Mattingly was tapped to take over in the interim - The Phillies won their first game under Mattingly, shutting out the Giants 7-0
Alex Cora was offered the Phillies job, but turned it down to spend time with his family (MLB.com)
Shohei Ohtani struck out nine Marlins over six innings but took the loss behind no run support; he gave up two runs (one earned), raising his season ERA to 0.60
Yankees phenom Cam Schlittler racked up eight strikeouts over six shutout innings as the Yankees bested Jacob deGrom and the Rangers 3-2 in Arlington
"Alabama Slammer"! I remember that drink. Of course, I (the bartender!) would combine it with a kamikaze. Should I have been concerned when said bartender wore a welder's mask?
Nice to see some hits & runs! The Vientos, Baty, Semien part of the order remains a concern.