The Mets need Pete Alonso to get going right now...
Plus, the Mets lost a series to the lowly Angels in Anaheim thanks to a lack of offense
What’s Up with the Mets? ⚾️
The Mets disappointingly dropped the rubber game of their weekend series with the Angels by the score of 3-2 (Box)
LHP Jose Quintana started for the Mets and was so-so, going five innings and allowing three runs on three hits, with four walks and four strikeouts
The Mets mustered only five hits themselves in the contest
Francisco Lindor narrowly missed a game tying home run in the 7th, as after originally being ruled a fair ball, the call was overruled during a crew chief review
With runners on the corners and one out in the 8th, Mark Vientos bounced into a demoralizing 6-4-3 double play to extinguish the Mets last threat of the day
Adam Ottavino, Danny Young, and Phil Maton combined for three scoreless innings of relief
Playoff Race 🏁
Sunday was a costly day for the Mets, as they lost while the Diamondbacks, Padres, and Cardinals all won. Those results dropped the Mets 1.5 games out of the final playoff spot.
The Mets have 51 games remaining.
Per FanGraphs, the Mets have a 39.9% chance of making the postseason.
New York has the 7th easiest schedule in MLB the rest of the way.
Tiebreakers:
vs. ATL: 5-5
vs. ARI: 2-2
vs. STL: 3-2
vs. SD: 3-0
vs. CIN: 2-1
vs. SF: 2-4 (finished)
vs. PIT: 5-2 (finished)
vs. CHC: 4-3 (finished)
Who’s Not Hot 🥶
Over his last eight games, Mark Vientos has gone just 6-for-26 (.231 AVG)
The Mets are hitting just .186 (27-for-145) with runners in scoring position since July 14, the second lowest mark in baseball during that span
Down on the Farm 🌾
RHP Mike Vasil (No. 11 Prospect, Triple-A): 6 IP, 4 ER, 8 H, 2 BB, 2 K, 1 HR
OF Alex Ramirez (No. 15 Prospect, Double-A) 2-for-3, 2B, BB, R
BOX SCORES
Single-A STL (PPD) | High-A BRK | Double-A BNG | Triple-A SYR
Today’s Game 🗓
Match-up: Mets (58-53) @ Cardinals (57-55)
Where: Busch Stadium — St. Louis, MO
Starters: LHP Sean Manaea (7-4, 3.50 ERA) vs. RHP Andre Pallante (4-5, 4.04 ERA)
When: 5:15 PM EDT
Where to Watch: SNY
The Mets need a Pete Alonso hot streak… ✍️
Despite a disappointing last two days in Anaheim, the Mets offense has by and large been a legitimate strength for the team for the majority of the season.
Francisco Lindor has thrived in the leadoff role, hitting second has given Brandon Nimmo a chance to be a run producer. Nimmo currently leads the team in RBI, and J.D. Martinez has been as advertised.
All three of those guys have enjoyed stretches where they’ve essentially carried the New York offense.
Then there’s Mark Vientos whose blossomed into a dynamic power threat during his first opportunity to start regularly at the big-league level, and players like Harrison Bader, Tyone Taylor, and more recently Jeff McNeil, have all provided substantial hot streaks.
Notice someone I haven’t mentioned yet?
It’s hard to necessarily say first baseman Pete Alonso is having a bad year. His 23 home runs do lead the team, and both his batting average and OBP are noticeably better than where they were last season.
Alonso is still in the top third in all of MLB in wRC+, OPS, and RBI and top five in home runs among all first basemen (min. 200 PA).
But it’s also safe to say this is not really the campaign Alonso and his agent Scott Boras were looking for in his walk year.
Through his first 111 games, Alonso is slashing .241/325/.465. With less than a third of the season remaining, his home run total is currently exactly half of where it finished in 2023, and he’s currently on pace to tally the lowest RBI total of his career—the COVID season notwithstanding.
While he can’t make up for the first four months, if Alonso can catch fire down the stretch it would go a long way towards leading the Mets to the postseason.
We’re talking about a cleanup hitter that has averaged well over 40 homers during his career, has consistently driven in more than 100 runs, and has in many ways become the face of the franchise.
Also - everyone has a down year by their own measurement, even the great ones. Alonso just happens to be in his walk year for the down year.
For most of this season, it’s appeared to me anyway, Alonso’s looming free agency has been a distraction for him, and caused him to press and put too much pressure on himself. But it’s safe to say he can still rewrite the script about his 2024 season in short order.
There’s nothing here to suggest Alonso has lost it or is a diminished player. He’s swinging at a few fewer pitches inside the strike zone which could be attributed to the increased number of unfavorable counts, but all-in-all there’s nothing in the metrics which would suggest this isn’t the same player he’s always been.
The one glaring issue for Alonso is he’s been brutal against the breaking pitch. He’s hitting just .148 against sliders this season, and the opposition is routinely working him away with sliders off the outside part of the plate as a result. He can’t lay off of them and he can’t go the other way with them either, leaving him with a 34.8% swing-and-miss rate on that pitch.
I mean, who on this planet can hit a good, big league slider, right? I don’t want to say this is easy by any means. It isn’t - that’s why most people don’t get to wear a big league uniform and play for six, seven, or eight figures per year.
But Alonso is a big league hitter - his adjustment has to be to spit on that pitch:
As we enter the dog days of August, the Mets offense needs another bolt. It’s Alonso’s turn.
I’m looking for him to catch fire during the team’s west coast swing, hit a bunch of home runs in a week, and carry the team during a prolonged stretch.
We all know you can do it, Pete. Let’s see it.
Around the League 🚩
Joc Pederson launched a go-ahead three-run homer in the 7th inning to power the Diamondbacks to a 6-5 win in Pittsburgh
The Marlins blanked the Braves 7-0 behind Edward Cabrera and three relievers
D.J. LeMahieu delivered a 10th inning walk-off single to earn the Yankees a 4-3 win over Toronto
The White Sox lost to Minnesota 13-7 to inexplicably drop their 20th contest in a row
Today's a key game. Can't fall two games behind.
One notable thing is that Ottavino basically did what he had to do in two games. He was taken out when in the second game when it was getting a bit dicey & the next in line did the job.
Maybe, next time when someone else looks like they are struggling, they won't be left in to lose the game.
Also, Gelbs is a nice guy and talented, but he's a somewhat dull play by play guy.
Disappointing Weekend. Went in with so much hope but the team seems to play down to their competition.