3 UP

1. The Dude Abides

Well, Lucas Duda is in the middle of one of his hot streaks. In the three-game set against the Padres, Duda was 5-for-10 with three runs, one double, one home run, five RBI and three walks.

Overall, no one can get him out and his power stroke has returned. Hopefully, this is the start of one of those two or three week stretches where Duda carries this team, as the Mets can use all the help they can get.

2. Flores Blossoming

As good as Duda was, Wilmer Flores was nearly his equal. Over the three-game set, Flores was 4-for-11 with two runs, one double, four RBI and two walks.

This is an extension of his joy hitting of late. Since May 15, Flores is hitting .414/.467/.621 with three doubles, one home run and seven RBI. This isn’t Flores just feasting off left-handed pitchers either. Over this stretch, he’s been hitting .421 off right-handed pitching.

Maybe, just maybe, Flores is taking some steps towards becoming a complete offensive threat instead of being just a platoon bat.

3. Sewald Answers The Call

Once you show Terry Collins you can be a reliable reliever, he keeps going back to the whip with you. With his excellent rookie campaign, Paul Sewald has earned the trust of his manager, who continues to ask for more and more from Sewald.

For the second time this season, Collins asked Sewald to pitch at least three innings in a game. Earlier in the series, he pitched a scoreless inning. Right now, Sewald is amidst a 7.1 scoreless inning steak, and his ERA is down to 2.08. Right now, he is arguably the most dependable reliever in that bullpen.

3 DOWN

1. Collins’ Bullpen Mismanagement

On Tuesday, Collins emptied his bullpen trying to preserve a 9-3 win that was never in doubt. That includes Jerry Blevins, who Collins said asked into the game. Of course, Collins didn’t say no to him despite Blevins pitching at a near 100 appearance pace.

Collins emptying the bullpen meant that key arms such as Blevins and Sewald were unavailable on Wednesday to preserve a two-run lead.  Fernando Salas labored in the seventh loading the bases with two outs. Rather than being able to go to Sewald to face Wil Myers, Collins went to Neil Ramirez and his 10.32 ERA. Myers would come within inches of a grand slam, but managed to tie the game.

It should be noted Collins didn’t go to Ramirez when the Mets had a six-run lead. Apparently, it was because Collins was waiting for the game on the line to use him. Putting your feelings aside whether Robert Gsellman should have stayed on to pitch the seventh or not, we can all agree Ramirez should never have been in that spot.

By the way, the game after Sewald was unavailable, he threw 41 pitches over three innings.

2. Mets Rely On Montero Yet Again

With the rain and the Mets litany of injuries, it is understandable why the Mets decided to skip Jacob deGrom‘s start even if that meant Rafael Montero toeing the rubber. But how was it that Montero was in line to take that spot start?

Josh Smoker struggled to begin the year pitching to a 7.88 ERA and as a result, he was sent down. Hansel Robles followed a tremendous start to the season with a horrendous stretch that saw him allow 12 earned over 2.2 innings. As a result, he too was demoted.

Montero was 0-3 with an 8.10 ERA while walking 7.6 batters per nine innings. It has gotten to the point where his allowing three runs over three innings was seen as progress. Why is it Smoker and Robles get sent down while Montero stays up and continuously harms the Mets chances of winning games?

Certainly, while we can pinpoint any number of issues with Collins handling the bullpen, Sandy Alderson deserves to shoulder blame as well. The fact that relievers like Montero and Ramirez are options is inexcusable.

3. RISP An Issue Again

The Mets have dropped to second in baseball with a .322 batting average with runners in scoring position. While still a vast improvement over last year, there are some warning signs. Time and time again during the Padres series, the Mets squandered golden opportunities.  Over the last two games, when the Mets needed a hit most, they were just 5-for-25.

The seminal moment was Wednesday’s loss when the Mets had bases loaded and no outs and still failed to push a run across the plate. With the Mets pitching still struggling, the offense can ill afford to continue wasting opportunities like these.

After a brutal series loss against the Padres, the Mets head to Pittsburgh. Hopefully, the team is able to take advantage of a last place Pirates club.