3 UP

1. Lugo’s Back

Last season, Seth Lugo needed elbow surgery, and he just wasn’t the same when he returned. So when he started the season, there were some concerns about struggling with his control and allowing runs.

Over Lugo’s last three outings, we have seen the Lugo of old. He’s pitched 3.1 scoreless, picking up a save and hold. The save came after Edwin Diaz had blown a save, and Lugo did not allow the Manfred Man to score. He followed that up with the classic 1-2-3 put out in the next game.

As good as that is, the most significant cause to believe in him is the curve. MMO‘s own Michael Mayer noted that Lugo had a 3,411 spin rate on his curveball. That’s peak Lugo, and if the Mets have peak Lugo, this bullpen will be phenomenal.

2. Hustle

Starling Marte was signed partially because of his elite speed and base running. We saw that on display when he barely beat a throw from Matt Davidson. The infield single allowed the go-ahead run to score in extra innings, helping the Mets secure another victory.

Marte nodded to Brandon Nimmo when discussing the play, saying, “When I saw the guy play like that, that’s how I have to play too.”

This indicates what we are seeing with this Mets team early in the season. They are not only doing all the little things that help teams win. They are all having a positive impact on one another and helping each other strive to be their best. Remember, good play is as contagious as miscues.

Going back to Marte for a second, we saw him use his speed to generate a run in the series finale. In the sixth, he broke a tie game by doubling, stealing third, and coming home after the errant throw from Jose Herrera.

3. Beating Who You Should Beat

Even with the Mets taking three out of four from the San Francisco Giants, some still want to discount what the Mets are doing by saying they are beating bad teams. That is the case with their being amongst the leaders in runs scored and wRC+ and their team ERA being among the top in the league.

For the naysayers, so what?

The 2015 Mets were 62-34 (.639) against teams under .500, and they were 28-38 (.424) against teams with a winning record. That was good enough to win the division and the pennant.

Good teams do what the Mets are doing. They take advantage of the soft spots in their schedule and rack up wins. This is precisely how you make the postseason.

3 DOWN

1. Conforto Done for the Season

Initially, it was a shock there was no one interested in Michael Conforto. But then, we learned Conforto had injured himself while working out during the lockout. He is now done for the year with season-ending shoulder surgery.

For the Mets, it is disappointing to see a player who was once a key part of the Mets go down with an injury like this. In terms of the future, with Conforto’s injury, the Mets now will not receive draft pick compensation because Conforto will not be signing with anyone. That also means less bonus pool money to work with during the draft.

2. May Day

It is too soon to overreact, but Trevor May has not looked as sharp this season, and he has already allowed two homers. He combined with Diaz to turn an easy win into an extra-inning nail-biter on Friday.

He just isn’t fooling anyone, and he is getting battered. Maybe this is just the biceps and triceps issue. But this could also be Buck Showalter asking him to do things he hasn’t done in his career.

Whatever the case, May is an essential piece to this team. Eventually, we should hope he figures it out.

3.  Peterson Optioned

David Peterson has been everything the Mets asked him to be and more. He had a critical relief appearance, and he had two terrific starts. If everything were fair and just, he would remain in the rotation for the rest of the season.

However, with Taijuan Walker‘s anticipated return from the IL later this week and the Mets needing to deploy a bullpen game, the team needed to send down Peterson.

Ultimately, this was the correct decision for the team as Peterson is their seventh-best starter, and you can’t have Peterson wasting away in the bullpen or throwing off their starters by forcing a six-man rotation.

The good news is Peterson is who we thought he could be when he was a first-round draft pick and surprised in 2020. The bad news is despite his doing all he could do to prove himself. He’s still going down to Syracuse, where he will have to keep in form and force his way back to the majors.