Juan Soto gives the Mets October hope
With the superstar hitter leading the way, the Mets have a higher ceiling come playoff time...
What’s up with the Mets? ⚾️
The Mets have now won four of their last five games after beating the Nationals 12-6 in Queens on Friday night (box)
RHP Brandon Sproat got off to a dominant start but was pulled after just four innings after allowing four earned runs on four hits with two walks and five strikeouts
RHP Huascar Brazobán gave up a pair of runs but the rest of the bullpen combined to not allow a single run the rest of the way, striking out four
RF Juan Soto set a new career-high with his 42nd home run of the season, while finishing 2-for-3 with two runs, three RBIs, two walks, and a stolen base
SS Francisco Lindor was the star of an explosive offense, going 3-for-4 with a double, four runs scored, a RBI and a walk
CF Jose Siri went 0-for-3 with two strikeouts and also committed two big misplays out in the field
RHP Kodai Senga will face live hitters in a live BP or simulated game outing next week with his playoff status still up in the air
Roster Moves 📰
RHP Huascar Brazobán recalled from Triple-A Syracuse
RHP Chris Devenski recalled from Triple-A Syracuse
RHP Dom Hamel designated for assignment
Injury Updates 🏥
CF Tyrone Taylor (left hamstring strain) went 1-for-4 for Triple-A Syracuse on Friday as he continues to be ramped up
LHP Sean Manaea remains on paternity leave but is expected to be ready to pitch on Sunday
Playoff Race 🏁
The Reds beat the Cubs while the Giants lost to the Dodgers. The Diamondbacks also lost, while the Cardinals won.
As a result, the Mets are now two games ahead of Cincinnati for the final Wild Card spot in the National League, and three games ahead of Arizona. They also stretched their lead over the Giants and the Cardinals to four and five games, respectively.
Meanwhile, with the Padres dropping a game to the White Sox on Friday, the Mets are now just three games behind San Diego for the second Wild Card berth.
There are eight games remaining.
Tiebreakers:
Mets own the tiebreaker against the Giants (season series: 4-2) - if they finish with identical records, the Mets would finish with the higher seed or eliminate the Giants
Mets do not own the tiebreaker against the Reds (season series: 2-4) - if they finish with identical records, the Reds would win the higher seed or eliminate the Mets
Mets and Diamondbacks finished their season series tied (3-3), but the Diamondbacks currently have a better record against their own division than the Mets do, so they would either finish with the higher seed or eliminate the Mets
Mets own the tiebreaker against the Cardinals (season series: 5-2) - if they finish with identical records, the Mets would finish with the higher seed or eliminate the Cardinals
The Padres own the tiebreaker over the Mets (season series: 2-4) - if they finish with identical records, the Padres would finish with the higher seed or eliminate the Mets
Per Fangraphs, the Mets have an 89.9% chance of making the 2025 postseason.
Play of the Game ⭐️
Juan Soto did it all for the Mets on Friday night.
He also came up with the most important hit of the game, too.
In a one-run ball game with one out and two runners on in the bottom of the fourth, Soto stepped to the plate and blew the game wide open with a three-run homer that left the bat at 107 mph and travelled 419 feet to dead center.
Not only was it Soto’s career-high 42nd homer of the year, but it also capped off a six-run inning and gave the Mets a big lead they would only add to.
The Mets gave the big bucks to Soto for moments like this - to come up clutch in the biggest moments and take games over.
Stats of the Day 📊
SS Francisco Lindor is the first shortstop in Major League history with four seasons of 25+ home runs and 25+ stolen bases
RF Juan Soto’s 42 homers in 2025 - a career-high - are the third-most home runs ever by a Met in a single season. Soto’s 21 home runs at Citi Field are tied for fourth-most by a Met
Soto has now put together five consecutive seasons with 25+ home runs and 120+ walks. Only Hall of Famer Ted Williams (6) had more
Soto’s five career seasons with 25+ walks and 120+ walks are the fourth most in MLB history
Soto now has 118 career games with at least a home run and a walk before turning 27 - the most in baseball history
Soto’s five career seasons with 120+ walks are the fifth most in baseball history - he’s still only 26-years-old
Who’s Hot? 🥵
Over his last 20 games, dating back to Aug. 29, RF Juan Soto is hitting 368/.462/.829 with 10 home runs, three doubles, one triple, 24 RBIs, and 20 runs. During that span, he leads MLB in homers, RBIs, SLG, total bases (63), and OPS (1.291). Soto is also slashing .320/.393/.720/.1.113 with one double, three homers, five runs scored, seven RBIs, and three walks over his last six games
LF Brandon Nimmo now has 88 RBIs on the year, and is just two away from tying his career-high of 90. Nimmo has now hit safely in 26 of his last 32 starts, while he’s hitting .320/.346/.560/.906 over his last six games
SS Francisco Lindor extended his hitting streak to eight games. He’s also hitting .409/.536/.591/.1.127 over his last six starts
1B Pete Alonso is hitting .435/.481/.957/.1.438 with four homers, eight RBIs, seven runs scored, and three walks over his last six games
RHP Tyler Rogers has now allowed just one earned run over his last six appearances for the Mets - he owns a 1.59 ERA over that span
Down on the Farm 🌾
OF Carson Benge (No. 1 prospect, Triple-A): 4-for-4, R, 2 RBI, 3B, SB
2B Jett Williams (No. 2 prospect, Triple-A): 2-for-5, HR, 2 R, 2 RBI, 3B
1B Jared Young (Triple-A): 2-for-4, R, BB, SB
RHP Luis Moreno (Triple-A): 4.1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 3 BB, 3 K
SCORES
Triple-A SYR
Today’s Game 🗓️
Match-up: Mets (80-74) vs. Nationals (62-92)
Where: Citi Field - Flushing, NY
Starters: RHP Nolan McLean (4-1, 1.19 ERA) vs. RHP Cade Cavalli (3-1, 4.76 ERA)
When: 4:10 PM EDT
Where to Watch: SNY | MLBN (Out-of-market only)
Spectacular Juan Soto gives the Mets an October chance… ✍️
What Juan Soto is doing at the plate right now is otherworldly special.
And because of his current elite offensive exploits, the Mets have a higher ceiling when it comes to actually accomplishing something in October.
Owner Steve Cohen long craved and then loaded up the Brink’s truck for Soto because of his game-changing ability and superstar talent.
And other than a slow start, Soto has more than lived up to that lofty contract with a stellar first season in Queens.
I mean, the numbers speak for themselves.
Since Aug. 29, Soto is hitting 368/.462/.829 with 10 home runs, three doubles, one triple, 24 RBIs, and 20 runs. He leads all of baseball in a slew of offensive categories over that span, too.
Basically, Soto has been unstoppable.
But look beyond the eye-popping numbers and the eye test has been equally jaw-dropping. Especially as of late.
With the pressure on and his team in a hole, Soto has really stepped up and taken his game to an entirely different stratosphere.
And that’s why, with this version of a determined, fully locked-in Soto, the Mets have a higher ceiling when it comes to postseason baseball.
Yes, this team is still flawed. And yes, the pitching is still a mess with a plethora of question marks.
But the 2024 Yankees were also a team with plenty of warts, but that didn’t stop them from reaching the World Series in large part thanks to Soto hitting .368/.478/.895/.1.373 with three home runs, six RBIs, and four walks in the ALCS. He also went on to slash .313/.522/.563/.1.084 in the World Series.
Soto is worth the money not just because of his superhuman hitting ability, but also because of the way he’s able to rise to the pressure, meet the moment, and find ways to take over ballgames.
We’ve seen that consistently over this last little stretch with every game effectively do-or-die for the Mets. With no margin for error, Soto has been delivering at the highest possible level and contributing in every single way imaginable.
Just look at his performance on Friday night.
Soto literally did everything in the series opener against the Nationals, setting a career-high with his 42nd homer of the season while also going 2-for-3 with two walks, two runs scored, three RBIs, and a stolen base.
Oh, and if that wasn’t enough, Soto also came up with the biggest hit of the game with a three-run blast in the fourth that changed the entire tenor of the game.
Yeah, when Soto is this deadly offensively, the Mets will always have a chance to win.
It isn’t just Soto, either. The four-time All-Star is able to elevate the play of those around him too, and that was on full display on Friday.
Francisco Lindor was a real critical driver for the offense, using his aggression on the basepaths to set the tone for the night. He was involved in, and made vital contributions, to all of the rallies the Mets staged. Pete Alonso, who has been the very definition of Captain Clutch as of late, helped to get the Mets on the board and back in the game. Brandon Nimmo also came up with a couple of key hits. And the entire offense relied on all aspects of the game to scratch out runs in key moments.
As we’ve seen over a decent stretch now, this offense is really starting to show its explosive potential.
And Soto is the key to that potential being unlocked in October.
When Soto goes, so does everyone else. He’s able to inspire and will his teammates to greater heights, and that will be crucial when the challenge becomes greater in the postseason.
So, while I still don’t fully trust this team going into the playoffs, I do feel there is a pathway to doing something special in October because of the superstar hitter at the top of the lineup.
Around the League 🚩
The Dodgers clinched a playoff berth with LHP Clayton Kershaw striking out six over 4.1 innings in his final regular season start in LA
The Mariners hit four home runs on the way to shutting out the Astros, 4-0, to reclaim first place in the AL West
C Bo Naylor drove in four runs and LHP Parker Messick struck out nine as the Guardians beat the Twins, 6-2 for their 13th win in their last 14 games - they are back to within 2 1/2 games of the Tigers in the AL Central and just 1.5 games out of a wild card spot
OF Jarren Duran blasted a go-ahead two-run homer to help lead the Red Sox past the Rays in an 11-7 win
INF Jazz Chisholm Jr. became just the third Yankee to join the 30-30 club after hitting his 30th homer in a 4-2 loss to the Orioles