3 Up, 3 Down: Positive Trends Continue As Mets Take Series W

What a very, very, very special weekend at Citi Field.

Not only was one of the best players in franchise history honored, but the New York Mets also clinched the series against the Kansas City Royals on Doc Gooden Day.

It is worth repeating that the Royals were red hot coming into Queens. They were winners of seven straight, with the bats causing plenty of damage.

However, the Mets again got timely contributions from their offense, as well as some big-time pitching performances. As a result, they have now won three straight series, all against difficult opponents.

And, on that very happy and positive note, let’s dive into a fun-packed and negative-light edition of 3 Up, 3 Down…

3 UP

FEEL-GOOD FACTOR

Although it is still stupidly early, the tides have shifted significantly since the Mets began the year 0-5. The feel-good factor appears to be back, and that was especially the case throughout a special weekend in Queens. Firstly, the Mets beat a red-hot Royals team to improve to 7-8. They are 7-3 in their last ten games, outscoring opponents 58-44 in that span. Okay, so it isn’t always pretty, but this team is winning baseball games consistently, and that’s the main thing.

The icing on top of the delicious cake was, of course, seeing the great Dwight Gooden have his jersey retired. Many would argue it was long overdue. The Cohen family has hit all the right notes when it comes to honoring the franchise’s past, and Sunday was another shining example. Gooden will go down as one of the best players to have ever pulled on a Mets uniform, and now his famed No. 16 jersey will live on forever in Mets lore. Plus, it was brilliant to see another team icon, Darryl Strawberry, in attendance and looking healthy just a month after suffering a heart attack.

POWER UP

Pete Alonso will become a very, very, very rich man next offseason. We all knew that already, of course. But Alonso is on a heater right now, and if he can keep this up over a full 162-game schedule, his value will only continue to skyrocket. The star slugger was at the heart of everything good the Mets did offensively this weekend. He hit three home runs in the first two games of the series. Alonso finished the weekend 5-for-9 with four RBIs, four runs scored and three walks. He also came up with clutch hit after clutch hit in big spots. As we’ve seen time and time again, when Alonso goes, so do the Mets.

X-FACTOR

Certain trends and stats in baseball can be deceiving, especially in April. While you can’t ignore the notion that Mets starters have combined for one of the best ERAs in baseball (3.51), that doesn’t quite tell the whole story. For instance, most of the Mets starters have displayed both a good and an ugly side this year. They’ve also failed to go deep in games… but not Sunday.

José Butto made his return to the rotation and impressed. And then some. Butto was untouchable, striking out nine – a career-high – and not allowing a run in six innings of work. More importantly, though, the righty gave the Mets six stellar innings of work, which hasn’t happened this year. Having allowed just one run on five hits across 12 innings this year and proven he can go deep into games, Butto could give this rotation a much-needed boost.

3 DOWN

REGRESSION TO THE MEAN

There is boom-or-bust potential with every single one of the starters currently in the rotation. Therefore, while Sean Manaea has been lights out to begin his Mets career, we knew an ugly outing was just around the corner. Well, it arrived on Saturday. The lefty was shelled by the Royals, giving up eight runs – six earned – on nine hits and three walks in just 3 2/3 innings. It was an eye-opener, for sure. And Saturday should serve as a reality check. For every good performance by each of these starters, expect them to lay one or two eggs on the mound too.

NOT PRETTY

These Mets are now piling up the wins, but it hasn’t always been pretty. They proved that throughout the weekend. The defense, or lack thereof, means that late collapses are always possible, especially if the bats don’t show. And we were treated to a full horror show on Saturday as Starling Marte fumbled a routine play while the infield continued to make too many unforced errors. The defense was meant to be better and more athletic this year, yet they are being run on at will – the Mets are 24-for-24 in stolen bases allowed this year. If the defense doesn’t improve considerably, and soon, then it will only become harder for this team to compete for a Wild Card spot.

SLUMPING HELL

I’m not trying to pile on, but I also feel it needs to be mentioned that Francisco Lindor endured another difficult weekend. The shortstop went a combined 3-for-11 at the weekend, while he left plenty of runners stranded throughout Sunday’s series finale. Lindor is now batting a lowly .129/.236/.194/.430 on the year. Plus, to rub salt into the wounds, the normally stout defender was made to look silly after he was eluded by Royals outfielder Garrett Hampson when trying to make a routine tag at second. While I’m not concerned about Lindor long-term, you couldn’t help but feel sorry for him this weekend as his slumping start to 2024 continued.