3 Up, 3 Down: Mets Ride Great Pitching For First Series Sweep

Clutch pitching was the spark that helped the New York Mets clinch their first series sweep of 2025.

More specifically, the bullpen was absolutely stellar throughout the three-game set against the Toronto Blue Jays. Meanwhile, the offense did just enough, with the Mets now riding a four-game winning streak.

To that end, let’s recap all the good and all the bad from the weekend in the latest edition of 3 Up, 3 Down …

3 UP

GREAT RELIEF 

The Mets’ pitching staff owns a stellar 1.91 ERA through the first nine games – the best mark in baseball. The bullpen has been a huge part of that success. And it played a crucial role in New York sweeping Toronto over the weekend. Reed Garrett, A.J. Minter and Max Kranick allowed just two baserunners in 3.2 scoreless innings in the home opener. Huascar Brazobán and Edwin Díaz combined to get the job done on Saturday. Then, in the series finale, Kranick, Minter, Garrett and Díaz combined to fire 4.1 innings of relief ball. In total, the bullpen allowed just one earned run during the three-game sweep. As a result, the bullpen leads all of MLB with a 1.29 ERA.

EMERGING WEAPON

Max Kranick has been so good to start the year that he deserves his own section. The 27-year-old was money against Toronto, delivering two innings of scoreless relief in game one. He entered the finale in a bases-loaded jam but quickly got out of it without incurring any damage. Kranick has retired 21 of the 22 batters he’s faced across seven scoreless innings of work this season. Furthermore, he now owns a career-high 12-inning scoreless streak, dating back to 5/7/22. Kranick is quickly morphing into a long-relief weapon. He’s also proved already this season that he can be relied upon to go long and get the job done.

CAPTAIN CLUTCH 

Pete Alonso is red-hot right now. The slugger has been the biggest offensive weapon for the Mets so far in 2025, and it isn’t even close. He helped carry the offense all series long against the Blue Jays, starting with a two-run home run in the home opener. Alonso also drew an intentional walk in the sixth, starting a big inning for the lineup with three runs scored. He was also clutch in the series finale, contributing two more hits, including an RBI single to get the Mets on the board in the third inning. Alonso set the tone for his team all series long, coming up with big hit after big hit in timely spots. All in all, it has been an outstanding start to 2025 for the power hitter, who’s hitting .290/.421/.645/.1.066 with three home runs and a team-leading 11 RBIs.

3 DOWN

SHORT GAME

As elite as the pitching has been so far, the Mets aren’t exactly getting length from their starters. Tylor Megill pitched over five innings in the home opener. But, other than that, Griffin Canning lasted just four innings on Saturday, and David Peterson was pulled after just 4.2 innings due to nausea and blurred version. As a result, the bullpen took on a heavier workload over the weekend. Relief pitchers combined for 30 2/3 innings of work before Sunday’s game. Granted, it is still early, and starters are still building up. But, if the bullpen is to remain fresh and effective, the starters will need to start going deeper into games. And soon.

SAME OLD STORY

Forgive me for thinking we’ve been here before. Ah, that’s right, that’s because we have. Brett Baty was lights out offensively throughout spring training. However, a week and change into the regular season, and he’s struggling to hit much of anything. The second baseman went 0-for-3 with two strikeouts on Sunday. That followed a 1-for-4 game with two strikeouts the day before. As a result, Baty is now hitting .095/.095/.143/.238 with one extra-base hit and no RBIs this year. Now, his average exit velocity this season is 92.3 mph, up from the mark set in each of the past two seasons. That is certainly encouraging. However, if Baty can’t start producing, he may run out of chances in the big leagues.

LACK OF SPARK

It’s a good job the pitching was so good against the Blue Jays. Because, once again, the offense struggled, especially in big spots. After a series in which two of the three games were decided by a single run, the offense needs to wake up. The Mets now have a collective OPS of .637 – the seventh-lowest mark in the majors. Furthermore, the team is now 12-for-73 with runners in scoring position this season. The lineup is also 2-for-28 with two outs and runners in scoring position. It is still early, and this offense will no doubt live up to its potential. But, as of right now, too many hitters aren’t doing their jobs, especially with runners on. That will come back to hurt the Mets at some point soon if something doesn’t change.