Juan Soto (happy) lifts Mets to series win

New York explodes for seven runs late to win their first series in four tries. Plus, how Juan Soto is showing signs of life.

What’s up with the Mets? ⚾

• The Mets won their first series in two weeks, defeating the Dbacks by a 7-1 score on Wednesday afternoon (box)

• RF Juan Soto had a big day at the plate, going 2-for-4 with two home runs (6, 7) and three RBI in the win

• RHP Kodai Senga pitched six shutout innings, allowing two hits and five walks with four strikeouts – Senga now owns a 1.16 ERA this season

• SS Francisco Lindor went 2-for-5 with two RBI and a run scored

• New York’s bullpen pitched well as RHPs Max Kranick, Huascar Brazobán and Ryne Stanek combined to allow just one run over the game’s final three innings

• C Luis Torrens has thrown out 20 of 41 (48.8 percent) of attempted base stealers since joining the club last season

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Who’s Hot? 🔥

• RF Juan Soto is hitting .325/.451/.725 with four home runs, four doubles, five RBI, 10 walks, 11 runs scored and a 1.176 OPS over his last 11 games

• INF Luisangel Acuña is now batting .295/.357/.364 with six doubles, five RBI, nine stolen bases (on 10 attempts) and 15 runs scored 98 plate appearances this season

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Play of the Game 🌟

In a game that will be largely remembered for the offensive contributions of Juan Soto, maybe one of the most important plays came on defense early on.

In a scoreless tie in the second inning, Dbacks outfielder Alek Thompson ripped a ball deep into the gap in left-center. On what would be a run-scoring play 99 percent of the time, the combination of Tyrone Taylor, Francisco Lindor and Luis Torrens linked up on a pair of incredible relay throws and a tag at the plate to keep Arizona off the board.

The throws by both Taylor and Lindor were absolutely perfect, with anything even a fraction less resulting in a run scoring without a doubt. For a version of Kodai Senga that, while pitching six scoreless, was shaky on Wednesday with five walks, keeping that run off the board early was critical.

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Down on the Farm 🌾

• RHP Brandon Sproat (No. 1 prospect, Triple-A): 5 IP, 2 H, ER, BB, 5 K

• 1B Ryan Clifford (No. 4 prospect, Double-A): 3-for-5, HR (4), 2 RBI, 2 runs scored

• 3B Jesus Baez (No. 7 prospect, High-A): 1-for-4, 2B, 3 RBI, run scored

BOX SCORES

Single-A STL | High-A BRK | Double-A BNG | Triple-A SYR

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Today’s Game 🗓️

The Mets are off today. They begin a three-game series with the Cubs at Citi Field on Friday night.

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Juan Soto is doing just fine ✍️

A lot has been said about Juan Soto over the last several months. Some by Mets fans, and a helluva lot more from Yankees fans.

That’s generally what comes with the territory when you sign the largest contract in the history of American professional sports over the offseason, and leave New York’s premiere brand to join the historically less successful younger brothers.

With the outfielder getting off to a slow start (by his own standards) in his first year in orange and blue, that noise has only gotten louder in recent weeks. Grumbles from Mets fans growing less patient, and of course the schadenfreude echoing from the Bronx.

And yet despite Soto’s struggles, you look up at his number’s and they’re still pretty respectable: .261/.385/.478 with seven home runs, nine doubles, 17 RBI, 29 walks, 29 runs scored and an .863 OPS through 38 games. They’re not what you expect out of Soto, of course, but it’s good for the 2nd highest OPS on the club (higher than Francisco Lindor’s) for players with enough qualified at-bats right now.

What’s even more promising is that it’s become clear that Soto is beginning to burst out of those early doldrums. Wednesday night was the most recent example of that, as the Mets star outfielder crushed two home runs (his second multi-homer game in the last three series) and drove home three runs. Over his last 11 games, Soto has homered four times with seven RBI, five RBI, 11 runs scored and a 1.176 OPS – and don’t forget, he was robbed of a three-run home run on Sunday, too.

With some visual evidence that Soto is heating up, it’s one of the safest bets in the game to say that Mets fans can expect the star players to wind up hitting similarly to his sterling career numbers. The metrics would tell you as much, which see Soto in an extremely favorable light even with that slow start.

Through 38 games this season Soto ranks in the 96th percentile in xwOBA (.424), 90th percentile in expected batting average (.302), 95th percentile in average exit velocity (94 MPH) and 98th percentile in squared-up percentage (37.7 percent). Soto also has a BABIP of .271 so far this season which is currently the second-lowest mark of his career, suggesting that he’s also hit into some bad luck early on (all stats per Baseball Savant).

While there still things to clean up, specifically in RBI situations (Soto is just 4-for-30 with runners in scoring position this season with seven solo home runs), Soto is going to be just fine. Remember, we’re 38 games into what is going to be a 15-year career with the Mets – there is a long way to go from here.

So stop stress-watching, micro-analyzing how reacts after home runs and listening to imbecilic biased Yankee fan radio hosts who still can’t get over the woman that dumped them after a single coffee date. None of that is real, and none of it matters.

Juan Soto is doing just fine in Flushing, and it’s only gonna get better.

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Around the League 🚩

• Despite being no-hit by Padres RHP Dylan Cease in the 7th inning, the Yankees staged a comeback capped off by a walk-off sacrifice fly by catcher (and former Uber driver) J.C. Escarra

• Red Sox 3B Alex Bregman crushed his 200th career home run in Boston’s 6-4 win over the Rangers

• The Dodgers rode a six-run 7th inning to a 10-1 blowout victory over the Marlins

• The Mariners rallied for three runs in the 6th and two in the 8th to beat the Athletics and win their 9th consecutive series