Well folks, we finally did it. Less than a month after being left for dead following a sweep at the hands of the Dodgers, the Mets have fought their way back to .500 while looking, I kid you not, like the best team in baseball.
The NL Wild Card race is a crowded one, but the Mets have rocketed their way past a bevy of teams to get to within 1.5 games of a playoff spot by going 15-4 in their last 19 games. Whether Grimace deserves the credit or not, everything is clicking right now, and the 21 runs the Mets just scored in a two-game sweep of the Yankees could foreshadow that this is only the beginning.
It’s fair to be skeptical of any Mets success. We’ve all seen numerous examples over the years of our favorite team getting our hopes up before pulling the rug out, but in the words of Tug McGraw, “Ya gotta believe.” Here are three reasons to believe that the Mets can keep this hot streak rolling into the second half of the season.
1. The Baby Mets can’t be stopped
It seems that everyone in the Mets lineup is hitting. Francisco Lindor has flourished in the leadoff spot. Brandon Nimmo, JD Martinez, and Pete Alonso are all hitting for power, and the bottom of the lineup has been raking too, with Harrison Bader and Tyrone Taylor drilling the Yankees for three homers and seven RBIs.
It really has been a team effort to get back to .500, but if any non-McDonald’s-spokespeople deserve the most credit, it has to be Francisco Alvarez and Mark Vientos. Alvarez returned from the thumb injury that had kept him out since mid-April almost three weeks ago, and Vientos got called up to replace failed free agent signee Joey Wendle in mid-May.
Since rejoining the big-league club, both players have been absolutely mashing. Vientos leads all qualified Mets in OPS at .928, and Alvarez is just behind him at .904. In 97 fewer at-bats, Vientos has already matched his home run total from a year ago, and he’s averaging an extra-base hit once every eight at-bats. Alvarez has three three-hit games since the last time he went hitless, but he’s also showing patience at the plate, with seven walks in his last five games.
Many fans wrote Vientos off as a AAAA player, someone who could dominate in AAA but didn’t have what it takes to hit big league pitching. That myth has been emphatically dispelled, and it’s impossible to envision him ever returning to Syracuse at this point.
Alvarez has been phenomenal at the plate, but his handling of the pitching staff can’t be discounted, either. He’s simply a winning player. The Mets are 22-8 with him this year, and 17-31 without him.
Not to be forgotten is Brett Baty, who has turned into Babe Ruth since being sent down to AAA. He’s hitting a home run every other game for Syracuse, and with Starling Marte on the shelf for the next month with a knee injury, don’t be surprised if Jeff McNeil moves to right field to make room for Baty at second base.
It was just over a year ago that we advocated going all-in on the youth movement. It took a little while, but the Baby Mets are growing up before our eyes.
2. Pitching help is on the way
The Mets’ starters have been great during their recent surge. Luis Severino has pitched like an ace, proving that he was one of the best signings of this past offseason. His consistency has been integral to the Mets’ success, especially as the bullpen has dealt with the loss of Brooks Raley for the year, Edwin Diaz to his recent 10-game suspension, and Drew Smith to the IL with an elbow sprain. In 15 starts this year, Severino’s gone at least five innings in every one. Even better, he seems to be getting stronger as the year goes on. His six-inning, 10-strikeout performance against the Cubs on Sunday was his best outing of the year, and the fire he displayed in that game has been emblematic of the way team morale has turned in the past month.
Severino isn’t the only starter getting the job done. Jose Quintana has settled down after a rocky May, and he’s only allowed two runs in his past two starts. Sean Manaea has followed a similar path, as he’s only allowed four in his past three.
Make no mistake, the Mets’ bats have keyed their resurgence, but the pitching has been getting it done, too. Even better, help is on the way. Kodai Senga could be making his long-awaited season debut within the next month, and both Christian Scott and Jose Butto are also waiting in the wings. Scott showed a ton of promise during his major league stint, and his 2.76 ERA in AAA has shown that he’s ready to come back up. Carlos Mendoza said there’s a “good chance” the former Florida Gator gets the call during the team’s upcoming stretch of 17 games in 17 days.
Butto was really good in seven starts in the bigs this year, pitching to a 3.08 ERA. He’s kept it up in the minors, and at this point there’s really no reason that Tylor Megill should be getting the ball every five days instead of him.
3. The schedule before the All-Star break is very manageable
By thumping the league-leading Yankees in the first two games of this year’s Subway Series, the Mets showed that they can beat anyone. This is a team playing with supreme confidence right now, and that self-belief should only increase given their upcoming slate of opponents.
After their off-day today, the Mets will play a game every day until the All-Star break. For a hot team, that’s a good thing. They’ll begin with a three-game slate against the Houston Astros. Joe Espada’s club has been a mirror image of the Mets, shaking off a rough start to claw their way back to .500. They’re 8-2 in their last 10 games, but they have to come to Citi Field.
Houston should provide a great test for the Mets, but after that, the schedule looks inviting. An eight-game road trip to Washington and Pittsburgh won’t be a walk in the park, but those teams aren’t exactly juggernauts. A matchup between Severino and rookie fireballer Paul Skenes on July 5th should provide some post-Fourth of July fireworks.
The Mets will then return home for a six-game set before the break, with the Nationals and the lowly Rockies as the opponents. Going 4-2 at the bare minimum shoud be the expectation there, but five or six wins is entirely within the realm of possibility with how well the team is playing.
It’s been a long road back to .500, but the Mets have the players, the confidence, and the schedule to keep it rolling. A playoff push seemed out of reach at this time last month, but it’s time to believe. Owner Steve Cohen said it best after yesterday’s win when he said, “I like winning more than losing. You can quote me on that.” We do too, Steve. Let’s keep it up.
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