Offense struggles again as Mets drop opening series to Astros
The Mets got almost zero production from their lineup in Houston on Saturday. Should we be concerned? Or is it way too early...
What’s up with the Mets? ⚾
The Mets dropped their first series of the 2025 season after losing 2-1 to the Astros in Houston on Saturday night (box)
RHP Griffin Canning enjoyed a strong Mets debut, allowing two earned runs on four hits to go along with two walks and four strikeouts
RHP José Buttó entered in relief of Canning and allowed just one hit while walking two and striking out two in 1.2 innings
RHP Max Kranick made his first MLB appearance since 2022, entering the game with the bases loaded, but he quickly got out of the jam without allowing a run, inducing a foul out and a groundout on just five pitches
Offensively, it was a night to forget. OF Juan Soto’s first inning double was the only hit of the night for the Mets
CF Jose Siri - making his Mets debut - did walk to leadoff the sixth before stealing second, and his speed helped put the Mets on the board following an aggressive charge to home plate on a comebacker
In total, the Mets recorded just two hits since the third inning of Friday’s game, and they finished the final game of the series 0-for-8 with RISP with four runners left on base
SS Francisco Lindor went 0-for-4 on Saturday, and finished the series 0-for-11 without a single hit
President of baseball operations David Stearns explained in an interview why he has so much faith in the starting rotation (SNY)
Roster Moves 📰
OF José Azócar cleared outright waivers and was assigned to Triple-A Syracuse
Injury Updates 🏥
C Francisco Álvarez participated in receiving drills with softballs while using his surgically-repaired left hand prior to Saturday’s game
Play of the Game 😢
The play of the game on Saturday night was obviously not to the Mets delight. With two outs and one on and the game tied in the bottom of the sixth, Yordan Álvarez, doubled off the wall in center field. José Siri’s slight bobble gave Isaac Paredes the opportunity he needed to score the go-ahead run for the Astros, a lead they would ultimately not relinquish.
Today’s Game 🗓️
The Mets are off today and will travel to Miami ahead of opening up a three-game series on Monday.
Striking the right balance between being concerned and not overreacting… ✍️
Okay, so the first series of the 2025 MLB season didn’t exactly go great for the New York Mets.
However, before we delve any further, let’s focus on the positives first.
The pitching was pretty good throughout the course of the weekend. Yes, Clay Holmes’ first start in a Mets uniform didn’t exactly go to plan on Opening Day. But, aside from that, Tylor Megill was stellar in his outing and, outside of the home run, Griffin Canning was pretty solid in his first start for the team on Saturday.
The bullpen looked good for the most part, including strong and encouraging outings from the likes of A.J. Minter, Ryne Stanek, José Buttó, and Edwin Díaz. We also saw Max Kranick make his first MLB start since 2022 on Saturday, and he built off of his strong spring by getting out of a bases-loaded jam unscathed. He could prove to be the X-Factor for the pen in 2025.
We even witnessed an outstanding defensive play by Luisangel Acuña to help save the win on Friday, while we got a glimpse on Saturday of just how lethal a weapon José Siri’s pure speed could be.
But, with all that said, it is hard to be upbeat this morning after watching the lineup fail to deliver time and time again in Houston.
The Mets recorded just one hit - yes, one - in Saturday’s loss, and that is hard to do. In total, the lineup scored just five runs and managed 12 hits in the three games against the Astros. Since the third inning of Friday’s game, the Mets recorded just two hits. Again, that is a pretty impressive example of bad hitting.
Furthermore, the lineup went a combined 2-for-21 with runners in scoring position, leaving a total of 18 runners stranded on base in the three games.
Heck, arguably the only offensive player to come out of this series with any credit is Juan Soto. The superstar hitter recorded a hit in every game of the series, including a double on Saturday, while also mashing his first home run in a Mets uniform. He finished the three-game set in Houston with two RBIs, one run scored, and four walks. And, yes, he did strike out in the biggest spot of the game on Opening Day - with runners on first and third in the ninth - but you know that Soto is going to deliver in those kinds of situations more often than not throughout his time in Queens.
Outside of Soto, the rest of the lineup offered very, very, very little. Pete Alonso, Brandon Nimmo, and Mark Vientos combined to go 4-for-31 (.129) in the three games. There was little to zero production from the bottom of the lineup.
And then there is Francisco Lindor, who went 0-for-11 with three strikeouts against the Astros. Yeah, that is far from ideal.
I highlighted the importance of Lindor not getting off to one of his typical slow starts, but this skid is alarming even by Lindor’s early-season standards. And, leading off, Lindor is the hitter who is expected to set the tone and get things going for the rest of the lineup. It seems that his pronounced early-season struggles have also impacted every other hitter - aside from Soto - in the lineup.
What is slightly concerning is the fact that Lindor may have to miss some time soon due to the birth of his third child. How that will impact his rhythm at the plate remains to be seen. But, as I said a week or so ago, the Mets can’t afford Lindor to be mired in a lengthy slump for all of April and May this year. Not if they are serious about being a major contender in a top-heavy NL East, let alone the National League.
Of course, all of this sounds a little bit too prisoner of the moment, I admit that. After all, we’re talking about just three games - a minuscule sample size - and there is a hell of a lot of baseball to be played.
Despite their struggles in Houston, this lineup remains one of the best in baseball, and I have no doubt that they will start to mash soon. The good news is the Mets open up a three-game series in Miami on Monday, which should give this offense a golden opportunity to wake up and atone for what happened against the Astros.
However, with that said, we can only react to what is in front of us, and the offensive no-show to start the year was both concerning and disappointing, especially when you consider all the hope and excitement going into the season.
Again, the year is still incredibly young, but I don’t think the lineup struggling as badly as it did in Houston is a nothing burger, either.
Let’s hope for much, much better in Miami.
Around the League 🚩
The Yankees hit a franchise-record nine home runs - including three on the first three pitches of the game - to beat the Brewers 20-9. Aaron Judge led the way with three homers and eight RBIs
Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani threw his first bullpen since Feb. 25 on Saturday, but is still a ways away from returning to the mound
Kristian Campbell mashed his first career MLB home run on Saturday, and is now reportedly close to singing an extension with the Red Sox
Roki Sasaki struggled in his home debut for the Dodgers, allowing two runs on three hits and walking four batters in just 1 2/3 innings
Rockies starter Antoni Senzatela has an early contender for strangest pitching line of the 2025 season - 4.1 innings pitched, nine hits, 0 strikeouts and no runs allowed
Kyle Tucker hit his first home run for the Cubs and Matt Shaw registered his first MLB career homer as Chicago beat the D-Backs, 4-3
Jordan Westburg recorded the first big league multi-homer of his game with two home runs as the Orioles beat the Blue Jays, 9-5
We may need a hitting lab
Don't worry, they'll hit. And the pitching was better than good; I'd say the bullpen was superb.