Should Luisangel Acuña be the Mets' everyday second baseman?

The Mets lose after blowing a late lead thanks to some defensive miscues. Plus, does the leash on Jeff McNeil need to be short with Acuña waiting in the wings?

AP

What’s up with the Mets? ⚾

• The Mets blew a late lead in a 5-4 walkoff loss to the Nationals at Nationals Park on Friday night (box | highlights)

• Both RF Juan Soto and 2B Jeff McNeil made defensive miscues to allow the Nats to rally and win the game, with RHP Ryne Stanek giving up the deciding two runs

• With the Mets struggling offensively all night, LF Brandon Nimmo hit an RBI single with the bases loaded in the top of the eighth to start a rally

• 3B Mark Vientos then completed the comeback with a bases-clearing triple to give the Mets a 4-3 lead

• RHP Kodai Senga allowed two earned runs on six hits with two walks and five strikeouts across six innings

• DH Jesse Winker lined out into a controversial triple play in the fourth inning - the first triple play turned on the Mets in 15 years

• The Mets signed LHP Brooks Raley to a one-year deal with a team option for 2026, pending a physical - he is said to be able to start pitching in rehab games in June (NY Post)

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Roster Moves 📰

• C Francisco Alvarez and 2B Jeff McNeil were reinstated from the 10-Day IL

• C Hayden Senger and INF Brett Baty were optioned to Triple-A Syracuse following Wednesday’s game

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Who’s Hot? 🔥

• RHP Reed Garrett tossed another scoreless inning on Friday, and he’s yet to allow a run this season, striking out 12 while giving up just four walks in 10.2 innings

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Who’s Cold? 🥶

• CF Tyrone Taylor went 0-for-4 again on Friday, and is now hitting just .177/.211/.250/.461 on the year

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Play of the Game ⭐️

The Mets entered the ninth inning with the lead thanks to some clutch hitting. They just needed some clutch pitching and solid defense in order to cross the finishing line.

Well, that didn’t happen.

With no outs, Nationals outfielder Dylan Crews lifted a ball to right center field to Juan Soto, who was seemingly in position to make a routine catch. Instead, the ball went off of Soto’s glove, allowing Crews to make it all the way to third base for a triple.

Soto’s inability to make what looked like a pretty easy catch was bad enough, but it was compounded by the fact that the Nationals were able to put a runner in scoring position out of nowhere. Soto’s miscue was the spark that led to a blown lead and a walk-off loss for the Mets.

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Down on the Farm 🌾

• CF Drew Gilbert (No. 10 prospect, Triple-A): 2-for-4, 2 R, 1 RBI, 1 BB, 1 2B

• RHP Dedniel Núñez (Triple-A): 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K

• CF Carson Benge (No. 3 prospect, High-A): 2-for-4, 1 R, 4 RBI, 1 BB, 1 HR

• RHP Edgar Moreta (Single-A): 5.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 K

• CF A.J. Ewing (No. 27 prospect, Single-A): 2-for-4, 1 R, 1 RBI, 1 BB, 1 3B

• 3B Colin Houck (No. 30 prospect, Single-A): 2-for-5, 2 R, 2 RBI, 1 2B, 1 3B

BOX SCORES

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

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Today’s Game 🗓️

Match-up: Mets (18-8) at Nationals (12-14)

Where: Nationals Park - Washington, D.C.

Starters: RHP Clay Holmes (2-1, 3.16 ERA) vs. RHP Brad Lord (0-2, 4.73 ERA)

When: 4:05 PM EDT

Where to Watch: SNY

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Why the leash on Jeff McNeil needs to be short with Luisangel Acuña waiting in the wings… ✍️

Jason Szenes - NY Post

The Mets saw their seven-game winning streak snapped by the Nationals in Washington on Friday.

It was an ugly game with the lineup unable to solve Nats righty Jake Irvin, who was money over 7.1 innings.

Once Irvin left the game, the Mets were able to get something going with Brandon Nimmo and Mark Vientos both coming up with clutch hits to help turn a deficit into a 4-3 lead late in the game.

However, the Mets had been tormented by mental errors and routine mistakes all game, and two defensive miscues ultimately doomed the team to defeat.

Juan Soto failed to catch a ball on the warning track, leading to a Dylan Crews triple. Then, with the game already tied, Jeff McNeil flubbed a play on a James Wood single, allowing CJ Abrams to score all the way from first to help seal the walk-off win for the Nationals.

McNeil’s lack of speed also played a part in the Nats tying the game, and you couldn’t help but wonder what would have happened if Lusiangel Acuña had been out there.

While we will never know the answer to that question, it is feasible to suggest that Acuña would have at least limited the damage somewhat.

His speed and athleticism probably would have at least prevented the tying run from being scored, with McNeil being late to react, and Acuña no doubt would have batted the ball down to at least hold Abrams at third and stop the winning run from being scored.

Now, it is just one game and it was McNeil’s first Major League game of the year after being activated off the IL, so it is important not to overreact to one game.

But, with that said, McNeil has shown clear signs of regression and isn’t getting any younger at 33 years old. He’s only going to get less agile in the field the older he gets. Plus, he has shown signs over the last couple of years of having the potential to break down.

AP

As for Acuña, we already know how athletic he is. Plus, the ceiling is sky-high and there is a lot of potential to be tapped into. He has shown tremendous range at second base and, while we don’t know for sure, I’m confident that he would have made the two defensive plays that McNeil didn’t that led to Friday’s game being lost.

Furthermore, Acuña has also shown this year just how valuable he can be offensively. He’s displayed the ability to be able to come up with a big hit in the clutch, while his speed on the basepaths and base-stealing abilities both have the potential to be huge weapons for this offense.

Acuña proved throughout the Mets’ hot start that he belongs in the majors, and that he has the skills and the potential to become the team’s everyday second baseman. He needs as many reps as possible to ensure that his progression and development continues on an upwards trajectory.

As things stand, the Mets have a golden opportunity to keep Acuña at second for the most part by playing McNeil out in center. With Tyrone Taylor struggling offensively, perhaps having a platoon of Taylor and McNeil could help spark some much-needed production from center field. Plus, that would keep the more athletic Acuña at second, making the Mets better both defensively and offensively.

Again, it is just one game and the Mets clearly see McNeil as their second baseman. However, you have to do what’s best for the team and you also have to operate with the future in mind too. Acuña has shown that he can help this team right now at second with his speed, range and athleticism, and he has the room to grow into a very good everyday second baseman for this ballclub.

So, with that in mind, maybe the leash on McNeil needs to be short. If he struggles offensively, and if he continues to miscue routine plays at second, maybe the best option would be to promote Acuña to be the everyday second baseman and use McNeil elsewhere.

The Mets potentially have a really good thing in Acuña, and that shouldn’t be wasted.

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Around the League 🚩

• RHP Colin Rea delivered five scoreless innings as the Cubs shutout the Phillies, 4-0

• RHP Paul Skenes tossed 6 1/3 scoreless innings and struckout nine to help the Pirates shutout the Dodgers, 3-0

• The Braves beat the D-Backs, 8-2, and have now won six of their past seven games, improving to 11-14

• 1B Vladimir Guerrero Jr. hit a rocket of a home run to help the Blue Jays beat the Yankees, 4-2

• RHP Logan Gilbert left Seattle’s game on Friday with right forearm tightness, although there is optimism that the injury isn’t serious

• RHP Seth Lugo dealt a season-high eight scoreless innings to help the Royals beat the Astros, 2-0, and extend their winning streak to five straight games