3 Up, 3 Down: Mets Endure Tough Weekend In Philly

This past weekend represented a real blow to the New York Mets’ hopes of making the postseason.

Two consecutive losses to the elite Phillies ensured the Mets failed to make up any ground on their NL Wild Card rivals. More importantly, though, a nagging injury to a crucial player ensured a rather dark cloud will hover over this team heading into the week.

However, all hope is not lost, and, on that note, let’s dive straight into another edition of 3 Up, 3 Down…

3 UP

PLENTY TO PLAY FOR

This weekend wasn’t all doom and gloom for the Mets. Yes, they dropped a series at a time when they could ill afford to. And, yes, a certain star player is dealing with an injury that could prove problematic. More on that later. But, despite all of that adversity, the Mets are still right in the thick of things. With Atlanta losing to the Dodgers on Sunday night, New York is still tied with the Braves for the final Wild Card spot in the National League. As a result, this team could send a real statement by taking care of business against the Nationals to start the week. It isn’t over yet. There’s still a hell of a lot of baseball yet to play.

CAREER DAY

David Peterson gave the Mets every chance to clinch the series against the Phillies on Sunday. The lefty tossed a career-high 7.2 innings. He allowed one run on four hits with one walk and six strikeouts. In other words, Peterson was absolutely money when he needed to be. He did his job, but unfortunately, the offense couldn’t hold up their end of the bargain. Despite that, Peterson lowered his ERA to 2.85 on the year. He has easily been one of the Mets’ biggest surprises of the year.

GREAT FIRST IMPRESSION

Mets fans finally got their wish during the series in Philadelphia. The team called up highly-rated prospect Luisangel Acuña to The Show, and his first showing did not disappoint. The shortstop collected a pair of hits in his Major League debut on Saturday, recording a pair of hard-hit singles. Acuña also made some nice plays in the field on Sunday, including some fancy glovework to get the final out of the fourth inning. All in all, Acuña flashed some tantalizing signs of what we could come to expect from the prospect down the road.

3 DOWN

HOPE AND PRAY

Monday will be a nerve-wracking experience for everyone in Mets land. Francisco Lindor, the team’s MVP of this year, will undergo an MRI on Monday to determine the full extent of his lower back tightness. Lindor was hindered by back pain all weekend, exiting early on Friday, and not playing in Saturday’s game. He was in the lineup for the finale on Sunday but lasted less than two full innings. The star shortstop was clearly in a lot of discomfort, and we now wait and hope for positive news. Lindor will likely play through as much pain as possible for the final 13 games of the regular season if can. He’s a gamer. However, if he’s forced to miss any time at all, that could act as a fatal blow to the Mets’ hopes of making the playoffs.

SAME OLD STORY

The bullpen has been a major concern for most of the year. It was considered a weakness coming into the season, and despite some high points here and there, the relief pitching could be what ultimately dooms the Mets. That was certainly the case over the weekend. Danny Young, Reed Garrett and Ryne Stanek combined to allow three runs on five hits with a walk as the bullpen melted down on Saturday. Then, in the series finale, Edwin Díaz entered a tied game in the bottom of the ninth and gave up a walk-off single to J.T. Realmuto. The Mets need their relievers to be money and clutch down the stretch. If not, October baseball may remain a distant dream.

GOING COLD

Other than Friday’s offensive explosion, the lineup didn’t really produce the goods for the Mets against the Phillies. And, even in the series opener, it took until the fifth inning for the bats to wake up. The offense was shut out for the final six innings of Saturday’s game before being held to just one run on Sunday. All in all, the Mets went just 3-for-12 with runners in scoring position over the final two games of the series in Philadelphia. And, with the top of the lineup not delivering consistently enough, that should be a real concern heading into the final couple of weeks of the regular season. Especially if Lindor ends up missing any more time.