3 Up, 3 Down: Mets Win Series Against Pirates

At this point, wins and losses mean very little for the New York Mets in the overall grand scheme of things.

The 2023 season is lost, and nothing is going to change that. Every loss will just hammer home what a bust this year is, while every win just acts as a morale victory.

However, despite that, the Mets were at least able to wash away the bad taste of a horrific series against the Braves by taking two out of three against the Pittsburgh Pirates. Again, the two wins won’t have any bearing on the season at large, but a series win here and there at least shows that this team hasn’t completely thrown in the towel.

3 Up

Rooting For The Good Guys

Baseball is great for a plethora of reasons. One of those reasons is the sport produces a lot of underdog stories, and we’re seeing one playing out with the Mets right now. DJ Stewart has never really been able to stick in the major leagues, appearing in just 195 games in the bigs for the Baltimore Orioles before signing for the Mets this past February. Despite hitting .370/.528/.667 in spring training, Stewart found himself grinding away in the minors once again, something he’s been accustomed to throughout his career.

However, given a chance in the big leagues since the Mets decided to sell off pieces at the Trade Deadline, Stewart has begun to reap the benefits of being patient. It culminated in his most dominant outing in a Mets jersey yet, where he blasted two home runs in the rubber game against the Pirates on Wednesday. Stewart has now homered in two straight games, and both of his blasts on Wednesday came in key spots. The lefty also had himself a day in the field, executing a stellar throw to the cutoff man to end the top of the fifth inning, as well as a big-time catch up against the wall. In a season of few positives, seeing Stewart live out his dreams and get rewarded for years of perseverance is a really nice story. And one we all need right now.

Staying Hot

Brandon Nimmo has been on an absolute tear as of late, which continued in this series. Nimmo recorded a pair of hits in each of the first two games against the Pirates before going 1-for-3 in the rubber game with two walks and an RBI. Over the last 14 days, Nimmo has been hitting .342/.449/.537/.986. The outfielder is still dealing with a quad injury, but the fact he’s starting to look like himself at the plate again is a major positive for the Mets.

Mr. Consistency

Forget about Mr. Smile, Francisco Lindor has been more like Mr. Consistency for the Mets. When other big hitters have gone through all-time slumps, Lindor has remained at a pretty steady level for the most part. He ranks as one of the top shortstops in baseball in almost all offensive categories. He’s also been unstoppable in August so far, hitting .333/.400/.467/.867 with seven RBIs over the last 14 days. Furthermore, Lindor went 4-for-12 in this series, getting on base a ton in the process. He really went off in the first game of the series, hitting a double, reaching base three times, and he even stole a base. And, in doing so, Lindor became the first Met since Carlos Beltran in 2008 to record a 20-20 season with 20 home runs and 20 stolen bases. That’s pretty special. And it is a testament to just how consistently productive Lindor has been in 2023.

3 Down

2024 Outlook

There is a lot of grey area regarding the 2024 season for the Mets. Owner Steve Cohen and GM Billy Eppler have both been adamant that the team will be competitive, although their actions say otherwise. However, the biggest reason to doubt that the Mets will be any good next year is pitching. Because, to be blunt, they don’t have any. And that stark reality was driven home yet again in this series. Carlos Carrasco seems permanently broken (more on that below), David Peterson just isn’t the answer, José Butto has allowed 14 walks this year, including three more on Tuesday night, and the bullpen remains an unreliable hot mess.

As a result, the Mets will head into the offseason needing to rebuild an entire rotation around two certainties in Kodai Senga and José Quintana, and an entire bullpen around the returning Edwin Díaz. Given that they won’t be as free-spending in Free Agency, that process isn’t going to happen overnight, and pitching will more than likely remain a big problem next year.

To Tank Or Not To Tank

If you listen to Francisco Lindor, who has emerged as the real heartbeat of the entire franchise, the players in the clubhouse certainly aren’t tanking. However, some of the recent lineup decisions suggest that maybe the front office, the coaching staff, and the players aren’t on the same page. After all, the Mets currently have one of the worst records in baseball, and as long as they don’t go on a massive tear down the stretch, they could end up with a top pick in the draft. If that’s ownership’s true desire, then series wins like this one over the Pirates are more of a hindrance than a help. At the end of the day, it is clear the Mets are in rebuild mode, and, as such, finishing with one of the worst records to gain a top pick would be beneficial. Especially if that pick ends up being a blue-chip starting pitcher. The Mets would be wise just to fully commit to the tank and embrace sucking the rest of the way in 2023.

All Good Things Come To An End

It feels like we’re currently witnessing the end of Carlos Carrasco’s major league career, and it sucks, honestly. The veteran has regressed dramatically throughout the course of 2023, and he endured another rough outing in this series. Lasting just three innings on Monday, Carrasco allowed two earned runs on four hits while also walking three. His stuff has largely vanished, his command isn’t there, and, at 36 years old, you have to wonder if Carrasco is all but cooked. If this does prove to be the beginning of the end, then it’s a real shame. Carrasco was a solid workhorse in 2022 for the Mets playoff team. However, the sample size of nightmare and ugly outings is far too large now, and it sure does feel like Carrasco is currently pitching himself towards retirement.