Francisco Lindor came up clutch at a time the Mets badly needed a big hit...

Plus, Paul Blackburn has provided steadiness and reliability in his first two starts, and notes on Francisco Alvarez, Jose Iglesias

Michael Baron

Aug 08, 2024

What’s Up with the Mets? ⚾️

The Mets bounced back to defeat the Rockies 5-3 at Coors Field on Wednesday night (box)
The Rockies had a bullpen game, but the Mets offense scuffled for the first eight innings, scratching only two runs across thanks to RBI singles from Pete Alonso and Tyrone Taylor
The Mets bats came alive in the ninth, plating three runs thanks to two clutch hits and a combined three RBI from Francisco Lindor and Jesse Winker
Edwin Díaz allowed a run in the ninth but notched his 14th save of the season
José Buttó came up aces in the Mets bullpen again, delivering two scoreless innings of relief
Paul Blackburn delivered his second strong outing as a Met, allowing just one earned run over six innings with six strikeouts
The Mets went 4-for-10 with runners in scoring position, are 3-3 in August, 12-12 against the NL West, 42-15 when scoring 5 or more runs, 34-18 when scoring first, and 11-8 since the All-Star Game

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Injury Updates 🏥

OF Starling Marte (bone bruise in knee) went 1-for-3 with a single, two strikeouts and a stolen base as the St. Lucie Mets’ designated hitter on Wednesday
RHP Reed Garrett (elbow inflammation) is expected to re-join the Mets this weekend in Seattle
RHP Sean Reid-Foley (right shoulder impingement) needs to demonstrate both durability and effectiveness during his rehab assignment - he could be tested in an extended outing or back-to-back appearances before team officials determine if he is ready to rejoin the Mets. He allowed two hits and a walk with two strikeouts in an inning of relief for Triple-A Syracuse on Wednesday

Playoff Race 🏁

The Mets gained a full game in their pursuit of a wild card berth with their win against Colorado and the Braves loss to the Brewers.

New York is a 1/2 game out of a Wild Card spot with 48 games remaining.

Per FanGraphs, the Mets have a 50.3% chance of making the postseason.

New York has the 12th easiest schedule in MLB the rest of the way.

Tiebreakers:

vs. ATL: 5-5
vs. ARI: 2-2
vs. SD: 3-0
vs. CIN: 2-1
vs. STL: 4-2 (finished)
vs. SF: 2-4 (finished)
vs. PIT: 5-2 (finished)
vs. CHC: 4-3 (finished)

Down on the Farm 🌾

INF Jacob Reimer (High-A): 2-for-6, R, 2 RBI
RHP Joander Suárez (Double-A): 6.2 IP, 2 ER, 7 H, 1 BB, 9 K
INF Luisangel Acuña (Triple-A): 2-for-5, HR, RBI, 2 R

BOX SCORES

Single-A STL | High-A BRK (G1) (G2) | Double-A BNG | Triple-A SYR

Today’s Game 🗓

Match-up: Mets (60-54) at Rockies (42-73)

Where: Coors Field - Denver, CO

Starters: LHP David Peterson (5-1, 3.47 ERA) vs. LHP Austin Gomber (3-7, 4.66 ERA)

When: 3:10 PM EDT

Where to Watch: SNY

The Mets finally got that clutch hit! ✍️

I don’t know about you, but I think I nodded my head about a half dozen times during last night’s game.

Between the Rockies putting on a clinic with their infield defense and the Mets’ overall inability to really get anything going over the first eight innings of this game, I sensed another night of frustration setting in as the Mets offense generally scuffled against the Rockies and their bullpen, that which has the worst ERA in baseball but had somehow allowed just two runs in their first 11.1 IP in this series.

At Coors Field, no less.

I wasn’t excited or pleased as much as I was relieved when Francisco Lindor came through with his ice-breaking, opposite field single to left field to plate the two biggest runs for the Mets in this series so far. It was just a feeling of, “ok, now the Mets can breathe a little bit.”

Maybe that’s the hit in that situation the Mets needed to break the ice they’ve been in with runners in scoring position since the All-Star Game.

To be fair, the Rockies defense probably saved three runs with their infield defense alone on Wednesday. Ryan McMahon looked like the second coming of Brooks Robinson at third base, Michael Toglia snagged a 111 mph screamer off the bat of Ben Gamel and converted an out on that as well.

Frustrating, but a hat tip to them for showing up.

The Mets also had some gems themselves despite allowing an unearned run for the second time in this series after not allowing an unearned run since July 2. José Iglesias - who is really a shortstop and perhaps a second baseman at this stage of his career - made three nice plays at third and nearly a fourth when he mishandled a popup which required him to cover a lot of ground in foul territory.

About Iglesias for a moment…

He’s just a good all around athletic player. In retrospect, it seems silly he wasn’t on the opening day roster not so much for his performance, but what he would have brought to the team with his athleticism, versatility, contact-ability, speed, and just his general attitude and demeanor. Yes, he’s obviously performed and that always creates a positive opinion about a player. But he brings these intangibles that, to me anyway, makes any team better and he sure has made the Mets better since his arrival. He’s a guy you know would be an absolute pest for the opposition in a playoff situation.

Then came the ninth inning with the game tied 2-2 and Francisco Álvarez leading off.

I don’t think anyone needs to look at the stats on either side of the ball these days to know he is really feeling for it right now. His catching has been sloppy, he’s chasing balls with a swing which really isn’t measured or composed, almost as if he’s trying to do too much whether its to get a big hit every time up or trying to steal strikes to a point where he’s struggling to catch the ball behind the plate.

He had a necessary good night at the plate anyway on Wednesday, most specifically thanks to his triple to leadoff the ninth inning to setup the Mets three-run inning to put this game to bed.

The nice thing about Coors Field is the outfield is so big that almost any ball over an outfielders head is three bases for anyone. I guess that can also be one of the worst things about Coors Field if you’re on the other end of a ball like the one Álvarez hit.

Such is baseball life a mile high. On Wednesday, the Mets benefitted from the Coors Field effect, unlike Tuesday night.

But for Álvarez, this is a big test for him. His second half so far is mirroring his second half from last year when he just seemed to fade from fatigue. Only this time, he is playing more meaningful games which was not the case in 2023. It’s hard to say whether or not he’s fading for sure - that’s for him to know and speak about. But he reminded on Wednesday night us through his struggles how incredible and important a player he is to this team - hopefully this marks a strong turnaround after what has unquestionably been the most difficult stretch of his season.

Then there was his battery mate for six innings on Wednesday, Paul Blackburn. Simply through his efficiency and strike throwing, he has been nothing short of a refreshment for a rotation which has generally been the exact opposite over the course of the 2024 season. He’s not ever going to wow with his stuff, he’s going to deal with traffic in most innings, but the formula in baseball is simple at any level of the sport: if you throw strikes, you’re going to be successful more often than not.

He’s a throwback of sorts. His fastball/cutter sits 89-90 mph, he can throw any pitch at any time, has good movement, works fast, and he just seems like someone the Mets can rely on to chew up competitive innings every five days. He isn’t going to standout in this era because he isn’t a big arm, but for those who remember and appreciate people like Rick Reed, Blackburn is your guy.

He’s a blue collar pitcher in every way.

He has given the Mets six innings in each of his first two starts with the club. Yes, they’re against second division teams but he has one strikeout in each of those innings, and has just been everything the Mets need for this rotation so far.

Anyway, this playoff race is such that every win is rewarded with upward movement, and every loss is a major setback. The Diamondbacks and Padres have found their lane and seem to be full speed ahead. They just don’t seem to lose these days.

But then there are the Braves who seem to always take one step forward and two steps backwards. There’s still seven weeks to go but they appear to be the most vulnerable as they’ve tumbled their way down thanks to absences from Ronald Acuña Jr., Ozzie Albies and Michael Harris.

Imagine if for once, its the Mets that overtake the Braves.

I don’t want to count my chickens before they hatch. They still have three games left against each other, and they’re in Atlanta. I’ve watched the Braves kick the crap out of the Mets at the most inopportune times far too often over the last 30 years to even consider the Mets can hold a candle to the wind against that franchise in meaningful games.

But if there’s a time for the Mets to be smelling blood, the time is now.

They’re going to have to get their offense righted for that to happen. After all, that’s the biggest reason for their most recent scuffle. They had a strong night with runners in scoring position on Wednesday with their 4-for-10 but are hitting just .218 with RISP since the All-Star Game, this after they hit .270 with RISP before the All-Star Game.

But this time of year, wins are wins regardless of how they get them.

Around the League 🚩

The Padres rallied from behind to beat the Pirates 9-8 in extra innings
The Diamondbacks swept their doubleheader against the Guardians, 7-3 and 5-3 respectively
The Yankees and Angels split a doubleheader in the Bronx - New York won game 1 5-2 but were biased 8-2 in game 2
Bobby Witt Jr. hit two home runs as the Royals defeated the Red Sox 8-4
Anthony Santander homered twice and Jackson Holliday homered for the third straight game as the Orioles defeated the Blue Jays 7-3