There’s still a lot of fight left in your New York Mets.

All hope may be lost as far as the 2023 season is concerned, but this team appears to be having fun now the shackles have been lifted with the pressure firmly off. The Mets, with an infusion of young talent, have nothing left to lose and can play with a lot of freedom the rest of the way.

That was certainly the case over the weekend as the Mets took two out of three from a red-hot Seattle team at Citi Field. The Mariners entered the series with the best winning percentage in the AL (.759) in August. They also ranked first in average (.283), OPS (.860) and ERA (3.14), as well as ranking third in runs per game (5.8).

However, the Amazins’ were able to clinch the series thanks to some impressive all-round baseball. They also went toe-to-toe with an explosive offense in their lone loss in a three-game set that offered up a myriad of positives for the future.

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3 Up

Future Ace

Kodai Senga has been nothing short of a revelation in his rookie year in Major League Baseball. He’s handled the transition to playing ball in America perfectly, and he’s been the brightest beacon of hope in a tough season for the Mets. And, after another dominant outing on the mound on Friday, Senga proved that he has the stuff and the mentality to become an ace for this team in the future. That could come as soon as 2024 with Senga and José Quintana the only certainties in what has been a hot mess of a rotation. Senga certainly looked like an ace on Friday, absolutely dominating a powerhouse of a Seattle lineup. He was absolutely masterful again, tying a season-high mark with 12 strikeouts and giving up just one run on five hits with two walks. Yes, Senga’s lone run given up was a home run to J.P. Crawford, but it is only the second homer he’s allowed in his last eight games.

Senga now ranks third in the National League in ERA with a hugely impressive 3.08 mark. That may earn him some Cy Young consideration — and it should — and it could also cement his status as the Mets’ ace in 2024. And you can strongly argue that too should also be the case.

Worth The Wait

The Mets waited nearly all season for Ronny Mauricio, who many fans were calling for them to bring up a long time ago. However, you can’t put the milk back in the udder and, instead, it was worth the wait. Mauricio wasted little time in looking at home in the bigs, and he energized a Citi Field crowd that have long craved a real spark to get behind this year. Mauricio proved to be that spark as he ripped a scorching double in his debut on Friday. It was an absolute rocket of a shot that left the bat at an incredible 117.3 mph. It was the hardest-hit ball by a Met this season, and the 11th-hardest hit baseball in the majors all year. Impressive stuff.

However, not content with delivering a golden first impression, Mauricio continued to thrive on the big stage throughout the weekend. Almost as if he were making up for lost time, the prospect collected two more hits and his first stolen base in Saturday’s 8-7 loss. Mauricio then collected another hit on Sunday as he finished his first weekend in The Show 5-for-11 with one double and two stolen bases. The shortstop also looked solid in the field, starting at second base where he made a couple of notable plays. It’s a very small sample size, but Mauricio’ skillset certainly looks like it can translate to the majors and he’ll have chance to earn a full-time role in 2024 down the stretch.

It was a long time coming, but Mauricio’s Mets debut was well worth the wait.

Just Extend The Guy

Let’s lead off with this: Pete Alonso now has three 40-homer seasons. That’s as many as the rest of the Mets in team history combined. The others, if you’re interested: Carlos Beltrán, Todd Hundley, Mike Piazza. Also, Alonso became just one of five players who’ve had 40-homer seasons within their first five seasons. Already in that exclusive club are Ralph Kiner, Eddie Mathews, Albert Pujols, and Ryan Howard.

This latest slice of history came as Alonso slugged his 40th and 41st home runs of the season in the rubber match win over Seattle on Sunday. The masher also reached 100 RBIs in a three-hit, four-RBI day, which included scoring Francisco Lindor with a laser of a single. That sequence not only highlighted Lindor’s insane speed and aggressive baserunning, but also that Alonso is much more than just a home run hitter. He can put the ball in play and make things happen too.

All of this makes the current situation involving the Mets and Alonso all the more baffling. The organization as a whole has done little to dispel all the negative stories about Alonso currently doing the rounds, nor shut down talk that their star slugger could be traded during the offseason. There appears to be no rhyme or reason as to why the Mets won’t just extend the heartbeat of this team, and one of the best power hitters in the game right now. Not to mention of his generation. Alonso is doing historical things at the plate, and hell should freeze over before he’s allowed to wear another team’s uniform. Owner Steve Cohen needs to make sure an extension gets done. And soon.

Mark Vientos. Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

3 Down

Minor Setback

Baseball can be a cruel sport sometimes. Mark Vientos had started to flash tantalizing signs of breaking out offensively in his last three games. However, after going 2-for-3 with a home run on Saturday, Vientos left the game after the seventh inning after hurting his right foot while running the bases. As of writing this, there’s still no word on the extent of Vientos’s sore right foot, but it would be a blow if he were to miss any amount of time down the stretch. He looked like he was on the cusp of getting hot, going 5-for-10 with two homers in his last three games. Let’s hope it’s nothing too serious.

Pitching Struggles

The Mets played a lot of A+ baseball this weekend against one of the hottest teams in baseball right now. To clinch the series was impressive. However, one could make the case that they could have wrapped this series up on Saturday. After all, the offense managed to go toe-to-toe with an explosive Seattle lineup, twice mounting a big comeback. But, despite the best efforts of the bats, it was pitching that let them down. David Peterson struggled in his latest start, giving up four runs on seven hits and striking out four. Peterson gave his offense a tall task, as did the bullpen. Grant Hartwig couldn’t keep the score close after giving up a two-run shot to Dominic Canzone. Adam Ottavino then gave up a leadoff homer to J.P. Crawford and that was the ballgame. Saturday’s pitching no-show proved to be the only real blemish on an overall spotless weekend for the Mets.

Under The Knife Again?

It was reported by Anthony DiComo of MLB.com on Sunday that Starling Marte may need another groin surgery, identical to the one he underwent last November. It is worth stressing that surgery is only a possibility at this point, a worst-case scenario if Marte doesn’t continue to progress. He spent the last week in Philadelphia working with a lower-leg specialist who has helped the likes of Tiger Woods and Sidney Crosby in the past. Marte, who hasn’t played since early August, hasn’t been fully healthy since the end of 2022. Injuries clearly hampered the outfielder’s 2023 season, where he has a .248/.301/.324 slash line with five homers over 86 games. Logic would dictate that shutting Marte down for the rest of the year is the best option for the Mets, but you also have to wonder what damage another groin surgery may do to his 2024 season.

The 63-74 Mets have an off day on Labor Day before hitting the road on Tuesday to open up a two-game series against the Nationals.