3 Up, 3 Down: Mets Take Another Series From Nationals

3 UP

Beating You Any Way They Can

The Mets are 9-0-1 over their first 10 series this season, and they are on pace for 108 wins (sounds familiar?). They’re in this position because they beat teams just about any way you can beat them.

Need an epic ninth inning rally? Need to pull off a 5-6-1-9-6 double play? Need Brandon Nimmo to set the table, or Jeff McNeil to hit a big RBI double past Josh Bell? The Mets got it.

Really, what’s astounding is the Mets are built to beat you with dominant starting pitching, which they got in this series from Carlos Carrasco and Taijuan Walker. They can beat you with what’s emerging as a good bullpen.

They can have Pete Alonso mash homers, or they can have players like Nimmo, McNeil, or Mark Canha, who has a great final game to the series, kill you with a thousand cuts. Also, they can have their defense step up with Francisco Lindor and Starling Marte being Gold Glovers, Luis Guillorme being a terrific defender, and Nimmo being an improved defensive center fielder.

Again, the Mets can beat you any number of ways, and they’re doing that this season.

Guillorme Earning More Playing Time

Entering the season, Guillorme had a fan in Buck Showalter saying Guillorme provided something the Mets did not have. Really, Guillorme has been an x-factor previous Mets managers had not fully embraced.

Over his last 10 games, Guillorme is hitting .321/.387/.536 with five runs, three doubles, a homer, and two RBI. He’s also been very good at second with a lighting quick turn on the double play. Overall, he has a 1 OAA at the position so far.

With Guillorme showing an ability to get on base and provide very good defense, it is getting increasingly harder for Showalter to keep him out of the lineup. That goes double with the struggles we are seeing from some of the Mets more marquee players. All told, it is great to see a Mets player take advantage of a big opportunity and run with it.

Saving the Pen

There are moments in a season which get overlooked even if they are of vital importance. So far this season, one of those moments was how Trevor Williams and Stephen Nogosek saved the Mets bullpen.

The duo combined to pitch 6 2/3 scoreless innings after Tylor Megill lasted just 1 1/3 innings in what was easily the worst start of his career. That meant Seth Lugo, Drew Smith, and Edwin Diaz would not have to waste bullets in a blowout, and really, that allows them to be fresh for when the Mets need them.

As if that wasn’t enough, Taijuan Walker threw seven shutout innings against the Washington Nationals in a game which featured him knocking down Juan Soto in one of the most bizarre double plays you’ll ever see.

With those efforts, not only were the aforementioned arms saved, but Adam Ottavino, Joely Rodriguez, and Chasen Shreve didn’t throw needless innings allowing for Buck to utilize them for match-ups. Really, not enough can be said about just how important the outings Williams and Nogosek had. Their outings are not going to have the Mets on fumes for weeks, and it is going to allow the Mets bullpen to continue to be great and win games.

On that last point, the Mets bullpen has come up huge over their last six games with 21 scoreless inning streak (before the Juan Soto homer in the 9th on Thursday) where the bullpen walked five and struck out 23. That streak was snapped, but we should see another one again.

3 DOWN

Escobar-ren Production

Eduardo Escobar has followed a quick hot start by going ice cold at the plate. Over his last 15 games, Escobar is hitting .167/.231/.200.

He has also struggled defensively with a -2 OAA and -3 DRS at third. Keep in mind, this is on par with his career numbers.

If there is a silver lining here, it is May is typically Escobar’s worst month of the season. He typically follows May with a very strong June. As such, it is probably too soon to overreact to his struggles at the plate.

J.D. and Dom

The universal DH was supposed to be a godsend for a Mets team with a number of players who could slot perfectly into the DH role. The first of those players, Robinson Cano, is gone and apparently off to San Diego.

Dominic Smith has so far squandered all of his opportunities to claim the position batting .190/.273/.241 on the season, and at this point, Buck Showalter is investigating other backup first base options.

That should play well for J.D. Davis to step up, but so far he hasn’t. On the season, Davis is batting .217/.362/.326. He’s also back to driving the ball on the ground with a 51.5% ground ball rate so far this season. That’s compounded by his pulling everything making it far easier to shift against him.

The Mets really needed one of these two to step up and take this DH spot. Unfortunately, neither have done so. With Mark Vientos and Nick Plummer having hot bats in Triple-A, you do wonder how long before the Mets look elsewhere.

Left Out

Patrick Corbin is an absolutely dreadful starting pitcher this season. That is except when he faces the Mets. Against the Mets, Corbin has a 2.00 ERA, and against the rest of baseball, he has a 7.60 ERA.

That is just how deep the Mets problems against left-handed pitching run right now.

Against left-handed pitching, the Mets have a team 90 wRC+, which ranks as fifth worst in the National League. It is also a far cry from their 120 wRC+ against right-handed pitching, which is the third best in all of baseball.

This is not a problem right now, and it’s not going to cost them the division. However, looking to the postseason, it’s going to be a major problem leaving it something the Mets need to address in-season at some point.