3 Up, 3 Down: Mets Celebrating Their History

3 UP

Second Half Canha

Mark Canha has on an absolute tear in the second half, and he’s arguably been the Mets best hitter. So far, he’s hitting .303/.400/.528.

They power is the biggest development. In the first half, he had 15 extra base hits. In roughly 40% of the games, he has 14 in the second half.

We saw this all on display in this series. He was 4-for-9 with three doubles, three RBI, and three HBP. In yet another series, he was the Mets best hitter.

Rocky Nimmo

For much of this season, we’ve been wondering when we’d see the real Brandon Nimmo. We finally got a glimpse in this series as he was 3-for-13 with a double, homer, four RBI, and four walks.

Nimmo grew up in Wyoming rooting for the Rockies, and he always seems to raise his game when he faces them. For his career, he has a .900 OPS against the Rockies. That’s his best OPS against any team he’s faced more than 21 times.

Respecting  Mets History

Ray Knight said it best this weekend when he said, “I love the Mets. I don’t like the Wilpons.” It’s a sentiment shared by fans and former players, each of whom wondering why the stewards of the franchise we love so dearly had such utter contempt for us.

Steve Cohen has changed all that. The Mets no longer focus celebrating New York National League history, specifically the Brooklyn Dodgers. Now, it’s celebrating the Mets.

We see it not just with the pitch perfect Old Timers’ Day, but we see it in all things Cohen does. That goes right down to his saying he’s going to do everything he can do to keep Jacob deGrom in a Mets uniform.

3 DOWN

Lindor Cooling Off

Francisco Lindor had been one of the best players in all of baseball in the second half of the season. He was starting to reach serious MVP level consideration.

He’s now cooled off considerably going hitless (0-for-17) over his last five games. To some degree, he looks a step slower.

That could be because he’s played everyday and has battled Buck Showalter over even being lifted for an inning.

Fortunately, the Mets schedule gets more normal with more off days after that grueling August gauntlet. This should all Lindor to get fresh and to be ready for a strong postseason run.

deGrom Treatment

Max Scherzer was dominant and did not deserve to take the loss in that game to the Rockies. However, that’s what happens when you literally get no run support.

The last two times Scherzer allowed fewer than two runs the Mets lost because they couldn’t generate offense.

In fact, Scherzer has allowed fewer than two runs 11 times. The Mets have actually lost four of those games.

When the Mets get great pitching like this, they have to win those games. That goes double for inferior opponents like the Rockies.

Álvarez Hurt

All season long, the Mets have gotten absolutely nothing offensively from the catcher position. In fact, their collective 51 wRC+ ranks dead last in the majors.

There was a chance Francisco Álvarez could’ve been a September call-up to help generate some much needed offense from the position.

With Álvarez dealing with an ankle injury, that seems completely off the table. This means the Mets now have to make do with the lackluster and borderline unacceptable offense they’re getting from the position.