The New York Mets head to London with the first three-game sweep since April 17 against the Pittsburgh Pirates. After their players-only meeting, they’ve won five of their last seven games after completing the series sweep against the Washington Nationals. Throughout May, the Mets maintained belief in themselves. Continually promising that they could and would play better baseball. The three-game series against their division rivals proved that. Here’s why.
Important Takeaways from the Met’s Latest Series
The Offense… It’s Alive!
As the Mets continued to struggle thanks to their horrific offense, it was time to make several roster moves which have so far paid off. Catcher Luis Torrens, acquired last week from the New York Yankees, took Corbin Burnes deep with two outs in the third to open the scoring. Torrens led off the sixth inning with his second home run of the game. Then the floodgate opened, and Francisco Lindor, Pete Alonso and Harrison Bader went deep for New York in the series. The Mets scored 23 runs in the three games while the Nationals scored 11.
Luis Torrens!
His second homer of the day! pic.twitter.com/dLRrMrjhvJ
— SNY (@SNYtv) June 5, 2024
The Beginning of a Turnaround?
The Mets have been in multiple trade rumors over the last few weeks. But at 27-35, they’re 3 1/2 games back on the final Wild Card spot. There’s six clubs between the Mets and the current final Wild Card team, the San Diego Padres. If the Mets don’t turn it around in the next six weeks, they’ll head into the deadline season as a seller. Impending free agents are plenty on the roster. Their current play of late is good, but they have a ways to go if they want to keep the ground running.
A Trio of Mets Players Aren’t Going Anywhere, For Now
Although many fans might be scared that the recent roster moves are just temporary, the Mets will most likely not jump to make any moves as Jose Iglesias, Vientos, and Torrens continue to impress. But what happens once Francisco Alvarez returns? He’s due back on Tuesday and once he does, the Mets have to choose between Tomás Nido or Torrens. Neither player can be optioned to the minors. Nido has been with the Mets since the team drafted him in 2012. He’s known for solid defense but is better offensively. For Torrens, the Mets see him as someone who as an offensive upside and someone who hits with impact.
Iglesias, who started the whole series, impressed offensively and defensively; driving in a pair of runs to help the Mets take Monday’s game. Although Brett Baty, who was recently sent down to Triple-A, is reworking his game for all the right reasons in Triple-A Syracuse. It won’t be long before Baty is back but for Vientos, he has five home runs to go with a .333 batting average. Vientos continues to do the little things from a small-ball perspective that’s been beneficial to the Mets.
The series against the Nationals gives the Mets something to be very optimistic about heading into the London Series. Maybe playing across the pond will help keep their current momentum going. Overall, the Mets made quite the noise in Washington this week.
Main Photo: © Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
