3 Up, 3 Down: Mets Impress in Series Win Over D-Backs

This has been a very, very good week for the New York Mets.

After landing their big white whale in David Stearns, the Mets proceeded to put on an absolute show for their new president of baseball operations by taking three out of four against the Arizona Diamondbacks.

By taking down a team in the thick of the wild card race in the National League, the Mets proved again they aren’t punting on the season. There were many positives to take from this series, including an absolute gem of an outing from a rising star and the offense absolutely going off.

And, if the D-Backs fail to make the postseason, their struggles against the Mets will have something to do with it. By winning this series, New York improved to 6-1 against Arizona on the year, outscoring their opponent by a wide margin of 47-16.

3 Up

Star Rising

David Stearns has a gargantuan job ahead of him as he prepares to take over the Mets in October. However, he at least knows he has a potential ace in which to build the starting rotation around in 2024. The Mets saved their best starter for last, and they were rewarded with the best pitching performance of the entire series. Kodai Senga was absolutely magic on the mound, putting together arguably his best outing in a Mets uniform yet. And, given how special he’s been this year, that really is a testament to just how good he was on Thursday. Senga mesmerized the Citi Field crowd once again, throwing six scoreless innings and striking out 10. He’s now racked up 14 straight starts of allowing three earned runs or fewer.

Senga’s ghost forkball will give the Diamondbacks lineup nightmares for months, given just how lethal it was. After a two-out single by former Met Tommy Pham in the first, Senga retired the next 13 batters in a row, racking up eight strikeouts in the process. Per Baseball Savant, Senga had 15 called strikes or whiffs on his forkball (41% CSW). His fastball also clocked 98 mph while showing near-perfect location. The righty also now has 78 strikeouts in 11 starts since the All-Star break, which is tied with Cubs ace Justin Steele for the fifth-most in the NL in that span. Senga is in the thick of both the Cy Young and Rookie of the Year races, boasting a 2.95 ERA (3rd in the NL) with 191 strikeouts and a 1.21 WHIP. Senga has been stellar in his rookie year in Queens, and he looks set to be an absolute star for the Mets for many years to come.

Seed Of Hope

One of the biggest tasks for David Stearns this coming offseason will be rebuilding a hot mess of a rotation. As he sees out his days with the Brewers, he will be keeping a close eye on events in Queens to work out what he’s got. And, as we saw on Wednesday, he may have something in Joey Lucchesi. Called up before the game to be the sixth man in the rotation to give Senga an extra day of rest, Lucchesi delivered some hope that he could force his way into the rotation full-time in 2024. The lefty had to work his way out of some trouble throughout his start, but he did so at every turn and allowed just one unearned run on five hits while walking three and striking out two in seven innings. Lucchesi made the most of his opportunity, and his start would have no doubt caught the eye of his new boss.

Going Off

The bats were red-hot for the Mets throughout this series. While they only put up three runs in the 4-3 loss in the opener, they rebounded by outscoring Arizona 25-6 the rest of the way. There was a slew of notable offensive performances at the plate, including Jeff McNeil going 5-for-16 with a pair of home runs, Pete Alonso drove in six runs, Ronny Mauricio went yard for the first time in his major league career, Mark Vientos and Francisco Álvarez homered, and Brett Baty broke his slump. Even Jonathan Araúz got in on the act on Thursday, hitting a three-run homer as the Mets exploded offensively over the final three games of the series. Nearly every player played their part in the surge of run-scoring, and it meant that some great pitching performances didn’t go to waste for once.

3 Down

On The Clock?

With the 2023 season drawing to a close for the Mets, all of the focus and all of the many conversations will revolve around David Stearns’ first act as president of baseball operations. There’s already a laundry list of jobs for the new man at the helm to tick off, chief among them the futures of manager Buck Showalter and star slugger Pete Alonso. Showalter had to answer questions about his future during this series in the immediate aftermath of Stearns’ hiring, and they probably won’t go away anytime soon. Showalter hasn’t done a great job of giving the franchise’s young talent every opportunity to develop this year, and given that 2024 will probably be a transitional year for the Mets, there is a case to be made for Stearns may be looking to hire his own guy in the dugout next year.

As for Alonso, the speculation over his future as a Met has refused to go away since the Trade Deadline, and Stearns’ first offseason in Queens will be defined by what path he decides to go down with the masher. It still makes the most sense to sign the three-time All-Star to an extension, but Stearns may have his own ideas for building a long-term winner. Whatever happens, it is feasible to suggest that several players and coaching staff are perhaps now on the clock with a few weeks remaining of the regular season. There’s a new sheriff in town, and he will be looking to make changes.

Another Setback

It has been a tough stretch for Brett Baty. The prospect has been laughed at by the Baseball Gods all year, hindered by a series of setbacks and challenges. Baty’s latest trip to the majors hasn’t been any different. After breaking his tough 0-for-18 stretch by hitting a pair of singles on Wednesday, Baty was then pulled from the game with a mild left groin strain and is considered day-to-day. You couldn’t blame Baty for maybe thinking the world is out to get him, given that he just can’t seem to catch a break. With the end of the regular season in sight, every single game is of paramount importance to Baty’s development and his quest to earn a full-time role in 2024. You just hope Baty can return to the field soon and finish hot down the homestretch.

Finding Ways To Lose

Monday was a horrific night for New York sports fans. Aaron Rodgers went down and had his season ended within minutes at a wet and gloomy MetLife Stadium. At an equally wet and gloomy Citi Field, the Mets found a new way to throw a game away. Armed with a 3-2 lead heading into the final two innings, the bullpen continued to be as reliable as a promised season of glory for the Jets. Trevor Gott gave up a solo shot to Tommy Pham, before Drew Smith‘s rough stretch continued as he came in and gave up the go-ahead run. It was a brutal way in which to end the game, and akin to what was happening in New Jersey, the Mets did their best to heap more misery on New York sports fans in 2023.