3 Up, 3 Down: Mets Dispatch With Wicked Brew

3 UP

Bassitt’s Back

Since James McCann went down with an injury, Chris Bassitt has had difficulty getting on the same page with his catchers, and he has struggled. Well, Bassitt talked with Mark Canha and Tomas Nido to get back in the right place and have his best start of the season.

Bassitt shut out the Milwaukee Brewers over eight innings allowing just three hits and one walk while striking out seven.

This is the pitcher Bassitt was to start the season, and his pitching this way put the Mets on a whole other level. Seeing him pitching like this again makes the Mets an even stronger team that the Atlanta Braves are not going to seriously challenge this season.

Squirreling Away

Jeff McNeil is again out there being the elite contact hitter he has been since the moment he was called up to the majors. He’s also hitting for some more power.

In this series, McNeil was 4-for-10 with a double, homer, and four RBI. This is part of a big month for McNeil as he is hitting .349/.409/.464 so far in June.

He has quietly emerged as the Mets best and most indispensable player this season. Currently, he leads the team with a 2.1 WAR, and his versatility has permitted the team to navigate through several injuries. He should be an All-Star, and Mets fans should send him to Los Angeles as a starter.

LuGOAT

With Tylor Megill leaving the game early with an injury, the Mets found themselves searching for quality innings from their bullpen for a second straight game. With this being a close game, they needed zeros and not just innings.

We got a glimpse of the past with Seth Lugo pitching two shut-shutout innings. He overwhelmed the Brewers allowing just one hit and striking out four. This was the second straight appearance for Lugo where he has thrown more than one scoreless inning.

Overall, Lugo has been very good this year, and he’s in his best stretch of the season. Over his past 10 games, he has thrown 12 2/3 innings going 1-0 while registering three holds and a 1.42 ERA. When Lugo is this good, the Mets bullpen is just that much better.

3 DOWN

More Injuries

Starling Marte was hit on the forearm leading him to leave the second game of the series. He was limited to pinch-running in the series finale. He hopes to be ready for the next series, but we don’t know if he will be ready or if he will suffer any aftereffects.

Just as we were starting to get news on the starting pitching front, Tylor Megill was forced to leave the game with shoulder discomfort. This is yet another arm issue Megill is dealing with this season, and it is probably not too soon to speculate whether we will see him again this season.

While not an injury, or at least a known injury situation, Eduardo Escobar was away from the team in the series finale, and Buck Showalter said he was unable to comment due to HIPAA reasons.

Right here are three important pieces of the team who are three important pieces of the team are missing. This coincides with Francisco Lindor dealing with a broken finger which has resulted in decreased production at the plate.

Give the Mets credit here. They have continued to play well throughout all the injuries, but at a certain point, you have to wonder when these injuries are going to take their toll.

Not Quite Ready

The Mets are in the position they are in largely because they have gotten contributions from everyone. That said, there is a difference between a contribution and establishing yourself as a bona fide Major League player.

Nick Plummer is mired in an 0-for-17 stretch striking out six times in 19 plate appearances. On the bright side, his last at-bat did produce a game-winning RBI partially due to the Brewers inability to complete the double play.

Jake Reed was hit harder than a pinata by the Brewers allowing five runs in 2/3 innings. Over his past two appearances, he’s allowed eight runs in 1 1/3 innings. With the Mets needing to make additional roster moves shortly, he may well find himself designated for assignment sooner rather than later.

To a lesser extent, David Peterson is in a similar situation as he has yet to establish himself as a Major League starter. He has not gone five innings in any of his last three starts walking 2+ and allowing four runs in each start. He’s frustrated, and his performance is suffering.

Overall, there is talent with each of these players, and the Mets may yet help these players turn things around. However, at the moment, they’re not helping the Mets, at least not in their current roles, and at some point, the team is going to have to look in a different direction.

Tapering Off

Luis Guillorme has earned his spot playing nearly every day on this team. After all, he has a 138 wRC+ and a 3 OAA at second. When Showalter mentioned Guillorme deserved some All-Star love, he was not far off the point.

That said, Guillorme has been fighting it a bit of late. Over the last two weeks, he is hitting .226/.294/.226, and he was 3-for-11 in this series.

We shouldn’t make too much of one cold spell. After all, he’s been very good all season long, and his defense always plays. More than that, with the injuries and Escobar’s personal issue, the team needs him to play at the level he has for most of this season.