3 Up, 3 Down: Mets Clinch First Series Win Of 2024

It only took a week, but the New York Mets finally have their first series win of the 2024 MLB season after taking two out of three from the Cincinnati Reds over the weekend.

I’d be underselling the point if I said the first week of the season has been disappointing for the Mets. And, despite improving to 3-6 over a good Reds team, there remains a lot of concern in Queens as far as the rest of 2024 is concerned.

However, a series win is a series win, and we saw some encouraging signs of life from different elements of the roster at the Great American Ball Park throughout the weekend.

So, without further ado, let’s get into the latest edition of 3 Up, 3 Down…

3 Up

GOOD RIDDANCE, SLUMP

Much of the Mets’ early offensive struggles landed on the shoulders of Francisco Lindor. Fairly or unfairly, Lindor is one of the leaders of this team and also one of the main drivers of the bus when it comes to the lineup. Therefore, the shortstop’s slow start to the season was always going to be met with an unhealthy dose of scrutiny and criticism. But, it is worth remembering that Lindor has made a habit of coming out the gate sluggish in recent years. Just look at his batting average through the first month or so of the season in each of the last three seasons:

• March / April 2021 – .182
• March / April 2022 – .282
• March / April 2023 – .218

So, in hindsight, the fact that Lindor entered Sunday just 1-for-31 with an ugly and rare .032 batting average shouldn’t really have sparked that much panic. Because, as we’ve seen over the past couple of years especially, the four-time All-Star will figure it out eventually. And that’s exactly what happened on Sunday. Lindor snapped a miserable 0-for-24 stretch with a first-inning double. He then well got off the schneid with his first homer of the year in the fourth inning.

He finished a productive and confidence-boosting day 2-for-5 with a double, homer, one RBI and two runs scored. Just what the doctor ordered. And, with the third-longest hitless streak of his career behind him, Lindor will now hope to push on and provide the kind of consistent and potent offense expected from a player of his stature.

MAKING A STATEMENT

Brett Baty continues to impress in a big, big way. The second-year player had one hell of a series against the Reds, both at the plate and in the field. Baty went a combined 5-for-13 in three games, and he’s putting together competitive at-bat after competitive at-bat. But his best work came in the field, where he made several clutch plays, including a highlight-reel grab to retire Spencer Steer in the fifth inning of Friday’s game. Baty looks more and more comfortable at the hot corner and as a major leaguer in general. And that’s a major positive for the Mets right now.

NOT MISSING A BEAT

You don’t really know what you’ve got until it is gone. The Mets found that out the hard way in 2023 when they lost star closer Edwin Díaz for the year. The bullpen was never the same without its flame-throwing maverick. Back and fully healthy, Díaz has wasted little time reminding the Mets of what they were missing last year. The two-time All-Star has eight strikeouts in just five innings pitched, and he has yet to give up a run. He was brilliant across the weekend. Díaz clinched his first save on Friday before striking out two to seal the deal on Sunday. Although still early, Díaz already looks every inch the elite closer he was before going down hurt.

3 Down

UNWANTED SETBACK

The Mets start a big four-game series against the Braves on Monday, and having J.D. Martinez in Atlanta would have been a much-needed boost. However, the slugger is suffering from overall body soreness after ramping up and will need a few days off before joining the team. That is hardly ideal obviously, especially given how badly this lineup struggled in the early going. You don’t want to rush Martinez and risk further injury, but there is some urgency in getting the six-time All-Star embedded in the heart of that Mets offense as soon as possible.

NOT DEEP ENOUGH

On the surface, the starting rotation has performed above expectations so far. After all, the starters lead the National League in ERA at 2.14 – a stellar mark. Sean Manaea pitched another gem on Sunday, and Luis Severino is the only Mets starter with an ERA north of three. All good stuff. However, the biggest slight against the current group of starters is that they don’t go deep enough into games. At the time of writing, Mets starters are averaging just over five innings per start. That is already putting a lot of stress on the bullpen, and it is not sustainable over a 162-game season. We need to see some of these starters go much deeper into games. And soon.

MENTAL MISTAKES

The lowdown on this team heading into 2024 was that they would be much better defensively. So far, the opposite is true. The Mets do not resemble a fundamentally sound defensive team right now, nor do they look particularly athletic. Case in point: they’ve allowed 13 unearned runs already this season. That’s a clip of one and a half unearned runs per game, which is unstainable. Two more errors were committed during Saturday’s ugly loss, while Omar Narváez suffered the ultimate brain fart behind the plate to allow a runner to steal home. Not good. The overall defense does not look good right now, and it has proved costly more often than not. That needs to change, and fast.