Red hot Mets clinch first series sweep of the year after handling Pittsburgh
New York wins its fourth straight to head west on a high. Plus, how Brandon Nimmo could become even more valuable
What’s Up with the Mets? ⚾️
The Mets played a fundamentally sound game to beat the Pirates 9-1 and sweep the series. They now have four consecutive series wins (box)
RHP Luis Severino gave the Mets six solid innings of work, allowing just one run on five hits with three walks and four strikeouts
OF Starling Marte hit a two-run homer - the 150th of his career - in the third inning to give the Mets a 2-1 lead
OF Tyrone Taylor is now 5-for-12 with RISP after hitting a two-out single to score two in the bottom of the sixth
Harrison Bader instantly followed up that huge hit by crushing his first home run as a Met to make it a 6-1 game heading into the seventh
RHP Jorge López, LHP Jake Diekman and RHP Grant Hartwig combined to throw three scoreless innings in relief as the bullpen remained stout for New York
New York clinched their first series sweep of the year, finishing their homestand with a 5-1 record
This is the first time the Mets have swept a series at Citi Field since May 30-June 1 2023 vs. the Phillies
The Mets have now won 10 of their last 13 contests, and will head to LA riding a four-game win streak
Roster Moves 🗞️
The Mets claimed RHP Michael Tonkin off waivers from the Twins
LHP Tyler Jay designated for assignment
RHP Sean Reid-Foley had his MLB rehab assignment transferred to Triple-A Syracuse
Injury Updates 🏥
3B Brett Baty (hamstring tightness) is “very optimistic” he will avoid the IL and be back in the lineup within the next few days
Who’s Hot 🔥
RHP Luis Severino has produced a stellar 1.13 ERA over his last three starts after being shelled for six runs in his Mets debut
OF Tyrone Taylor is hitting .341/.378/.463 with a home run, 10 RBIs, three walks and two stolen bases through 15 games
The Mets starting rotation now has a 3.29 ERA on the year. The bullpen owns a 2.97 ERA on the year
On a Heater ☄️
The Mets have won 10 of their last 13 and have four consecutive series wins
New York has outscored opponents 71-45 since April 6th (+26)
The Mets have come from behind seven times already in 2024
They are 5-4 vs. the NL central, 5-4 when scoring 5 or more runs, 6-6 at home, and 10-5 in April
The Mets are now 10-8 on the year, with that record all against teams over .500 with a 14+ run differential
The Mets are on pace to finish 90-72
Mets Stats 🧮
OFFENSE
Team average: .245 (14th in MLB)
.329 team OBP (10th in MLB)
Team OPS: .710 (14th in MLB)
150 hits (15th in MLB)
19 HR (15th in MLB)
82 RBIs (14th in MLB)
66 BB (11th in MLB)
12 SB (13th in MLB)
PITCHING
3.15 team ERA (6th in MLB)
3.29 starters ERA (5th in MLB)
90.1 total innings from the starting pitching (23rd in MLB)
2.97 bullpen ERA (7th in MLB)
72.2 total innings from the bullpen (9th most in MLB)
74 BB (24th in MLB)
176 K (5th in MLB)
Down on the Farm 🌾
3B Mark Vientos (Triple-A): 3-for-4, 1 RBI, 1 BB
RHP Dom Hamel (No. 14 prospect, Triple-A): 5.1 IP, 7 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 6 K, 1 HR
RHP Sean Reid-Foley (Triple-A rehab): 1 IP, 1 H, O R, 0 BB, O K
RHP Jack Wenninger (Single-A): 5 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, O BB, 7 K
RHP Christian Scott (No. 5 prospect) has cracked Baseball America’s latest Top 100 Prospects list (BA)
Today’s Game 🗓
The Mets (10-8) have an off day on Thursday. New York will be back in action on Friday, when they play the first of a three-game set against the Dodgers at Dodger Stadium.
Is it fair to expect Brandon Nimmo to steal more bases? ✍️
Anthony DiComo of MLB.com fired out a Tweet during Wednesday’s game that really captured my attention.
Per DiComo, Francisco Álvarez now has three stolen bases in the Mets’ last 162 games after stealing second in the series finale in the Pirates. However, the more interesting aspect of the Tweet, or rather the more concerning part, was that Brandon Nimmo has only the one stolen base over the same span.
And I couldn’t stop thinking about that for the remainder of the game.
I would say it consumed every fiber of my being, but that might be being a little dramatic. However, it bothered me enough to compel me to center this entire op-ed around the following questions:
Should Brandon Nimmo be stealing more bases?
Is it fair to expect more stolen bases from the leadoff hitter?
After all, this is hardly a new talking point. Beat writers and fans alike have been debating the pros and cons of Nimmo being more active and aggressive on the basepaths for a few years now. It was a conversation that only ramped up in intensity following the increase in size of the bases and the introduction of the pitch clock prior to the 2023 season.
However, Nimmo never really committed to the idea of taking advantage of the new rules, despite being in the 92nd percentile for sprint speed and having stolen only three bases in 2022. He stayed true to his own word by stealing just three bases again last year, while he was also caught stealing three times.
It is important to note that Nimmo has never reached double digits in stolen bases in his career. His career-high was nine stolen bases in 2018. The lefty bat hasn’t stolen more than five bases since the 2021 season.
With the runner’s lane being widened heading into this year, and with the Mets needing to be more athletic, there could have been an opportunity for Nimmo to really tap into his speed, which is one of his biggest strengths.
Instead, the outfielder has just one stolen base - and one attempt - in the 17 games he has played this year. He hasn’t exactly shown a lot of willingness to want to steal, either.
But, going back to the two questions I asked above, is it time for Nimmo to change his mentality and actually start being more aggressive on the basepaths?
I think it is.
After all, he has speed to burn and he gets on base at a very high clip as the leadoff hitter - he owned a .338 on-base percentage heading into Wednesday. By attempting more steals - and by having a high rate of success - Nimmo would be giving the likes of Starling Marte, Francisco Lindor and Pete Alonso a speedy baserunner in scoring position. Plus, Nimmo could really cause some mayhem on the basepaths with his foot speed, thus opening the door for more offensive opportunities while also providing the possibility of disturbing the pitcher and the defense.
President of baseball operations David Stearns wanted to put more of a focus on manufacturing runs this year, and having Nimmo become more aggressive in stealing attempts would certainly go a long way towards achieving that goal.
Of course, stealing bases isn’t just about speed. It is about smarts and instinct too. And Nimmo has admitted in the past that he’s just not very good at stealing bases. You can also understand his reluctant to attempt more steals given there is more injury risk there. After all, the 31-year-old has suffered with durability issues in the past.
But, with all that said, it would be nice to see Nimmo at least try to be more aggressive and allow the top of the order to play more small ball and, hopefully, drive in more runs.
There needs to be a balance struck between not getting hurt and being a competitive baserunner. Why not pick and choose the right spots, the necessary spots, to burn that oil on the bases? Perhaps a key, late game attempt that could be the difference between winning and losing is one of those right spots.
Nimmo is an incredibly effective leadoff hitter because of his ability to get on base at a very high clip. He would only add to his value in that role in addition to bringing a different dynamic to the top of that lineup by buying into his speed and attempting to steal more bases.
It would provide the Mets with the kind of elite weapon that could really make them that much more of a dangerous beast in 2024.
Proving His Worth
Okay, so allow me to lift the curtain a little bit here. With the Mets playing every day, it can sometimes be hard to work out exactly what to write in this section ahead of time. Most of the time, it is easier to wait until the game is played and go from there.
However, in this instance, I felt compelled enough by Brandon Nimmo’s lack of steals, that I decided that would be the main talking point of today’s newsletter.
Then Tyrone Taylor happened.
The veteran outfielder had himself a day on Wednesday, going 3-for-4 with a stolen base and two RBIs. He’s also now 5-for-12 with RISP on the year.
Despite not being an everyday player, Taylor has emerged as a real consistent and dangerous bat lower down the lineup for the Mets. He’s currently hitting .341 and is tied second on the team with 10 RBIs. He also has an OPS of .814.
Taylor has made a habit of producing good at-bat after good at-bat, while he has proven time and time again that he can be relied upon to come up clutch with a big hit in a key situation. He’s also played in all three outfield positions, providing the kind of versatility that every ball club needs over the course of a 162-game season.
One of the many, many, many reasons why I love baseball is the fact that a slew of under-the-radar players can emerge over the course of a full 162-game season. While still early, Taylor has played a significant role in the Mets’ recent success, and he looks like one hell of a pickup.
If he can produce even a fraction of his current production the rest of the way, then Taylor will only continue to grow into a really valuable piece for this red-hot Mets team.
Around the League 🚩
RHP Justin Verlander (right shoulder inflammation) will make his 2024 season debut for the Astros on Friday vs. the Nationals
OF Cedric Mullins hit a walk-off home run as the Orioles beat the Twins, 4-2, to improve to 12-6 on the year
Nationals RHP Jake Irvin allowed just four hits and threw six scoreless innings to beat the slumping Dodgers, 2-0
INF Orlando Acia knocked in the winning run in the tenth inning as the Braves beat the Astros, 5-4, to complete the sweep in Houston, who are now 6-14 on the year
OF Aaron Judge hit the go-ahead two-run single to help the Yankees come from behind and beat the Blue Jays, 6-4, snapping a three-game losing streak in the process
RHP Tanner Houck pitched a complete game shutout as the Red Sox beat the Guardians, 2-0, in a game that took just 1:49 to complete
Nimmo is a “lefty bat.”