Mets kick off road trip with a thrilling win vs the Dodgers
New York wins their fifth straight game. Plus, how Francisco Lindor's go-ahead homer represents a vibe shift in the 2024 Mets.
What’s Up with the Mets? ⚾️
The Mets started their road trip off with a bang, defeating the Dodgers by a score of 9-4 (box)
New York has now won five straight games, their longest streak of the 2024 season
SS Francisco Lindor crushed a go-ahead, two-run home run in the 7th inning, his first as a left-handed batter and second of the season overall
LHP Sean Manaea had an up-and-down start, allowing two runs on four hits and three walks over five innings pitched
CF Harrison Bader went 4-for-5 with a double, an RBI and a stolen base for the second four-hit game of his career
DH DJ Stewart went 2-for-4 with a home run (3), three RBI and a run scored in the win
C Francisco Álvarez exited the game after injuring his thumb while running the bases
3B Joey Wendle committed two errors in the 6th inning that led to two runs for the Dodgers, and struck out three times at the plate
RHP Reed Garrett saw his scoreless streak end, though he has yet to allow an earned run this season and did earn the victory in relief on Friday night
The Mets offense scored four runs on seven hits against Dodgers RHP Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who the club pursued as a free agent in the offseason
City Connect 🚊
The Mets released their 2024 Nike City Connect jerseys on Friday, with merchandise now on sale at Mets.com, the MLB Flagship Store in Manhattan, and the team store at Citi Field (Story)
Roster Moves 🗞️
LHP Tyler Jay sent outright to Triple-A Syracuse
Injury Updates 🏥
C Francisco Álvarez (thumb) underwent an MRI on Friday night – manager Carlos Mendoza told reporters after the game that he was “pretty concerned”
LHP David Peterson (hip labrum surgery) will soon begin a major league rehab assignment
RHP Tylor Megill (shoulder impingement) began throwing in the bullpen as part of
Down on the Farm 🌾
SS Luisangel Acuña (No. 3 prospect, Triple-A): .197/.232/.505 in 16 games
1B Ryan Clifford (No. 4 prospect, High-A): 2-for-3, RBI, BB
Today’s Game 🗓
Match-up: Mets (11-8) at Dodgers (12-10)
Where: Dodger Stadium — Los Angeles, CA
Starters: RHP José Buttó (0-0, 0.75 ERA) vs. RHP Gavin Stone (1-1, 6.14 ERA)
When: 4:05 PM EDT
Where to Watch: WPIX, FS1
Episode 4 of Just Mets, The Podcast is now available! This week, Rich and Justin discuss the surging Mets, praise Reed Garrett for his strong work out of the bullpen, and have a conversation about top pitching prospect Christian Scott.
Lindor, Mets flip the script to avoid classic West Coast meltdown… ✍️
Be honest. If you stayed up late enough to watch last night’s Mets game, which didn’t end until after 1:00 in the morning on the East coast, you didn’t think they were pulling that one out.
All of the classic signs were there indicating a prototypical late night Mets meltdown, something that has seemingly happened at least once on every West Coast road trip for as long as I can remember. Despite jumping out to an early 4-0 lead, the offense missed a golden opportunity to extend it even further. And before you could blink, thanks to not one but two errors by Joey Wendle in a three-batter span, that four-run lead had vanished.
Over the span of a few inning the Mets offense had gone cold, their defense (which committed three errors on the night) was fumbling the ball all over the field, and the pitching staff was constantly navigating high-leverage scoring threats.
And then Francisco Lindor stepped up to the plate.
In top of the 7th inning with the game tied 4-4, Lindor – who had been hitting just .151/.259/.219 entering the game – absolutely unloaded on a baseball, sending it into the right field bleachers and giving the Mets the lead once more. It was not only a massive hit for Lindor on a personal level, as he has dealt with his early struggles under a harsh public spotlight this season, but for the team as a whole. Not just because it gave them the lead late in this baseball game, but because of what it may signify.
The older I’ve gotten, the more I’ve talked about the vibes and energy that surround this baseball team. From the jump last season, you could just feel that something just wasn’t quite right. This year, however, despite their 0-5 start these Mets seem to have a positive and truly infectious energy surrounding them.
How many times last season can you remember the Mets winning a game the way they did against the Dodgers last night? You could probably count them on one hand, and to be frank I’m not even sure there were even that many. If anything, this win and some of the recent victories by this team have echoed those feelings we felt for those first five months of the 2022 season.
That year it felt as if the Mets were never out of any game, piling up magical moment after magical moment on their way to a 101-win season, the second most in franchise history. And while that season ultimately ended with a lot of disappointment, it was a helluva ride for those first few months and that alone is something we don’t get too often around these parts.
With the crack of Lindor’s bat, that feeling of Mets PTSD immediately alleviated for so many Mets fans who were just waiting for the ball to drop. Between Ryan Church missing third base, Edwin Díaz giving up homer after homer in the 9th, and Jeremy Reed’s errant throw with a five-man infield, we’ve certainly seen it before.
But not last night. And with the way these Mets are playing right now, maybe it’s time we stop expecting it.
Around the League 🚩
Braves C Travis d’Arnaud clubbed three home runs, including a grand slam, in an 8-3 drubbing vs the Rangers
The Yankees continued their hot start to the season thanks to a three-run home run by Juan Soto in their 5-3 victory over the Rays
Astros RHP Justin Verlander pitched a quality start in his season debut as Houston held off the Nationals, 5-3
Dbacks LHP Jordan Montgomery made his team debut, pitching six strong innings as their offense drubbed the Giants by a 17-1 score
Phillies pitchers have now gone three consecutive games without allowing an extra-base hit as the club shutout the White Sox, 7-0