Rockies series could be turning point for struggling Juan Soto and offense
The Mets take care of business against the Rockies in the series opener. Plus, why this weekend could be key to getting Soto and the rest of the lineup really going...
What’s up with the Mets? ⚾
The Mets got back to winning ways after beating the Rockies 4-2 in the series opener at Citi Field on Friday night (box | highlights)
LHP David Peterson was solid in his outing, allowing one earned run on five hits with one walk and five strikeouts
RHP Reed Garrett and RHP Edwin Díaz combined for two shutdown innings out of the bullpen, combining for no hits or walks with five strikeouts
SS Francisco Lindor went off at the plate with a 3-for-4 night, including a pair of home runs, three runs scored and two RBIs. He also made a game-defining play with the glove in the third inning
RF Juan Soto snapped an 0-for-17 skid with an RBI double in the third inning, before hitting a leadoff single in the sixth
DH Starling Marte came up with a clutch home run in the fourth - his third homer of the year
The Mets named former CEO and executive director of the U.S. Tennis Association, Lew Sherr, as the organization’s new president of business operations on Friday
Roster Moves 📰
RHP Chris Devenski recalled from Triple-A Syracuse
LHP Brandon Waddell optioned to Triple-A Syracuse
Injury Updates 🏥
RHP Paul Blackburn (right knee inflammation) will enter the starting rotation as the sixth-man and is “in play” to feature in the series against the Dodgers in LA next week
LHP Sean Manaea (right oblique strain) was scheduled to throw a live batting practice on Thursday and is progressing well. He will need to face hitters again before beginning a rehab assignment
RHP Frankie Montas (right lat strain) is also progressing well after pitching in another game for High-A Brooklyn on Thursday. He could return to the team in mid-June
CF Jose Siri (left tibia fracture) has a “very difficult” return time frame at this point and isn’t considered close
David Stearns Speaks 🗣️
As he does during every homestand, Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns held a news conference. Here’s a roundup of the best highlights from Stearns’ media availability on Friday:
The biggest talking point around the Mets right now are the struggles of Juan Soto. Stearns admitted that the superstar hitter is “probably trying to do too much right now,” but doesn’t think that it is a confidence issue. Stearns also said that he’s confident the results will eventually come, and has been pleased with the at-bats Soto has been putting together;
Another hot topic in and around Citi Field right now is Ronny Mauricio. The prospect has been raking at Triple-A since coming back from injury. He had gone 14-for-25 (.560) with three homers and seven RBIs prior to Friday night. As a result, Stearns praised Mauricio for “doing a great job” and said that the front office will continue to monitor his progress with Syracuse;
Stearns also acknowledged that the Mets have not been good with RISP, and confirmed that the team is currently trying to investigate the root behind those problems. Stearns also said that “performing in high-pressure situations is a skill that can be learned and improved over time and with experience.”
Defense has been another bugaboo that has hurt this team in 2025, and Stearns admitted that defensive errors and miscues have cost the Mets a couple of games. He is confident, however, that those mistakes will get cleaned up;
Finally, Stearns was asked about Francisco Alvarez, who is struggling offensively. Stearns attributed Alvarez’s poor start to the fact that the catcher missed most of spring training with a fractured hamate bone. Stearns said that he expects to see “better production” from Alvarez moving forward
Play of the Game ⭐️
In the top of the third, with two outs, the Rockies had loaded the bases and Colorado second baseman Thairo Estrada came to the plate with a chance to put the Rockies ahead.
And, for a second, it looked like he had done just that after sending what looked to be a line-drive double into the gap. It looked likely that two runs would score and the inning would continue.
However, Francisco Lindor had other ideas. The shortstop relied on his elite instincts to make a leaping grab to snag the line drive in his glove and end the inning without any damage being incurred.
It proved to be a huge moment in the overall tenor of the game, and Lindor’s stellar defensive work really did set the tone for the win.
Stats of the day 📊
SS Francisco Lindor hit two home runs on Friday. As a result, he’s now matched Hall of Famer Derek Jeter on the all-time home run list with 260. That’s tied for fourth-most among players who spent at least 60 percent of their careers at shortstop
The Mets have won 25 consecutive regular-season games when Lindor homers - that’s tied for the second-longest streak of wins when homering for a player since 1900, behind only Carl Furillo (29; 1951-53) (H/T Sarah Langs)
Lindor now has five leadoff home runs this season. The franchise record for most leadoff home runs in a season is seven, by Curtis Granderson in 2015 and 2016 (H/T Sarah Langs)
Who’s Hot? 🥵
After striking out the side on Friday night, RHP Edwin Díaz has now not allowed a hit in 30 straight at-bats - the longest active streak in the majors. He has also struck out seven of the last 11 batters he’s faced
Who’s Cold? 🥶
C Francisco Alvarez went 0-for-3 on Friday and is now hitting just .234/.330/.629 with just one home run on the year
3B Mark Vientos finished 0-for-3 with three strikeouts on Friday, and is hitting just .200/.333/.400 with one home run, three RBIs and 10 strikeouts over his last seven games
Down on the Farm 🌾
OF Drew Gilbert (No. 10 prospect, Triple-A): 2-for-4, 1 R, 1 RBI, 1 2B
1B Jon Singleton (Triple-A): 2-for-4, 1 R, 3 RBI, 1 BB
LHP Zach Thornton (Double-A): 6.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 8 K
3B Jacob Reimer (No. 20 prospect, High-A): 2-for-2, 2 R, 1 RBI, 1 BB, 1 HR
CF Kevin Villavicencio (Single-A): 2-for-6, 1 R, 5 RBI, 1 2B, 1 3B
1B Trace Willhoite (Single-A): 2-for-3, 4 R, 6 RBI, 2 BB, 2 HR
BOX SCORES
Single-A STL | High-A BRK | | Double-A BNG | Triple-A SYR
Today’s Game 🗓️
Match-up: Mets (35-22) vs. Rockies (9-48)
Where: Citi Field - Flushing, NY
Starters: RHP Kodai Senga (5-3, 1.46 ERA) vs. RHP Antonio Senzatela (1-9, 6.50 ERA)
When: 4:10 PM EDT
Where to Watch: WPIX
Why this series against the Rockies is the perfect get-right opportunity for Juan Soto and this struggling offense… ✍️
The New York Mets did what they had to do on Friday night.
Going up against a woefully bad Rockies team - who are on pace to out-stink the 2024 White Sox (and that takes some doing) - New York got the job done without a lot of trouble.
David Peterson put just one foot wrong on the way to delivering 5.2 innings of one-run ball with five strikeouts. The bullpen also did its job with Reed Garrett and Edwin Díaz securing the win in style. Díaz’s shutdown ninth inning was particularly impressive.
More importantly, however, it proved to be a big night for the offense, and the top of the lineup in particular. Francisco Lindor went off with two homers - including another leadoff home run. He finished 3-for-4 with three runs scored, two RBIs, and capped it off with a key defensive play in the third.
Starling Marte provided some pop from the bottom of the lineup with a key home run in the fourth that made it a 3-0 game.
And, much to the delight of those at Citi Field on Friday night, Juan Soto was also productive. The superstar hitter broke out of an 0-for-17 slump with an RBI double in the bottom of the third to score Lindor. Soto followed that up with a leadoff single in the sixth, while he also made a neat running catch in what was a get-right game all-round.
Soto needed a night like he enjoyed on Friday, and the rest of this weekend will present the outfielder, and the rest of the lineup, with a huge opportunity to get the train back on the tracks.
If Soto and the rest of his teammates can feast on poor pitching and beat up on a historically bad Rockies team, then that could act as the spark Soto needs to really break out and get into a groove.
Given that Colorado has the second-worst ERA in baseball (5.53), Soto has a real chance to absolutely go off this weekend. He is likely to face a series of easy lay-ups and, if so, he has to take advantage.
If Soto can make the most of facing a horrible team low on confidence and finish the weekend with a couple of home runs, a bunch of RBIs and runs scored, and a number of good at-bats, then that could be all that is needed for the generational hitter to put this slow start behind him and become the player we all know he is.
After all, all it can take is a game or two for a hitter of Soto’s quality to find a rhythm and really settle in.
The same can be said for the rest of the lineup. We saw Lindor, who entered Friday mired in a 4-for-25 rut, absolutely go off against lower opposition with a huge night in the series opener. Lindor hit homers from both sides of the plate and looked like vintage Lindor. Maybe a weekend series against the Rockies was all he needed to get the train back on the tracks again.
Saturday and Sunday could be huge for Francisco Alvarez for exactly the same reason. The catcher has struggled offensively since returning from the IL, and he finished 0-for-3 on Friday. Mark Vientos also went 0-for-3 with three strikeouts on the night. Both Tyrone Taylor and Luisangel Acuña also had 0-for-3 nights at the plate.
As such, the rest of this weekend offers Alvarez, Vientos, Taylor, and Acuña the opportunity to fatten up somewhat against really bad pitching, restore some confidence, and start to build some momentum offensively.
Maybe the runners in scoring position headache could also be eased somewhat this weekend. After finishing 0-for-2 with RISP on Friday, leaving three runners stranded on base, the Mets could do with a breakout in that area.
And, what better time to breakout than this weekend against a team that should give you plenty of chances to put traffic on the bases?
Yes, the Mets should be beating up on teams like the Rockies, and they won’t get any extra credit for doing so. Just like Soto won’t get any extra praise if he does go off the rest of this weekend.
But, if Soto and the rest of this struggling lineup can use the remainder of this series as a slump-busting, confidence-boosting exercise, one that sparks a real turnaround in offensive production from here on out, then this weekend could prove to be more significant in terms of the bigger picture this year.
Around the League 🚩
OF Aaron Judge hit a monster home run but was outdone by DH Shohei Ohtani, who hit two long balls to help the Dodgers beat the Yankees, 8-5 in a World Series rematch
Dodgers SS Mookie Betts will miss the weekend series in the Bronx due to a fractured left toe, but he isn’t expected to need a stint on the IL
Mariners C Cal Raleigh hit two home runs on Friday to become the first catcher to hit 20 homers before the end of May. He’s on pace for 57 home runs this season, which would break the record for the most by a primary catcher in a single season
LHP Framber Valdez threw a complete game on just 83 pitches as the Astros beat the Rays, 2-1
Braves RHP AJ Smith-Shawver will be out for the rest of the year, and most of 2026, after undergoing Tommy John Surgery
Angels OF Mike Trout was activated from the IL on Friday and capped his return with a single on a 1-for-5 night
I'm more disappointed with Vientos and Alvarez after their sterling first full seasons than I am with Soto.
Alvarez is positioning himself into a part time catcher, as to he honest Torrens is better defensively and is out hitting him. Still would like to see a steady diet of Acuna, as he might get better and better the more he plays.