3 Up, 3 Down: New-Look Mets Sweep Cleveland

Well, maybe the 2026 New York Mets can still surprise us in good ways after all.

In somewhat of a surprising development, the new-look Mets went into Cleveland and swept the playoff-chasing Guardians. Not only that, but the post-Trade Deadline version of this team was incredibly fun to watch.

Granted, this is still a lost season given the wins and losses don’t really matter at this point. With that said, there now appear to be multiple reasons to stay invested in this team the rest of the way.

On that note, let’s dive into the latest edition of 3 Up, 3 Down…

3 UP

NEW-LOOK BULLPEN

Hands up if you were expecting the bullpen to be a mess in the wake of the Trade Deadline? Me too. Well, it is a very small sample size, but maybe we will be proved wrong. The new-look bullpen was electric in Cleveland, combining to allow just one earned run all series. That’s impressive, especially considering the low expectations going in. Those efforts were led by Nate Lavender, who didn’t allow a run across his first two career MLB outings, striking out three. Jefry Yan also made his MLB debut, wowing with both his electric stuff and his trademark post-strikeout celebrations. Kodai Senga impressed too in a closer role on Tuesday. All in all, while we need to see a lot more, this revamped bullpen could carry a lot of promise for next year and beyond.

OFFENSE FIRING

The Mets got big-time contributions from up and down the lineup throughout the series in Cleveland. Bo Bichette had a big series, finishing with five hits and three RBIs. That included driving in the winning run in extra innings during Wednesday’s game. Francisco Lindor came up with a clutch three-run bomb to stretch a one-run lead into a big 9-5 lead in the seventh inning of the series finale. Both Jorge Polanco and Brett Baty hit home runs. Marcus Semien hit a double and a homer in the final game. Luis Torrens enjoyed a monster series, including going a perfect 3-for-3 with four RBIs in the opener. And A.J. Ewing and Carson Benge were also both highly productive. It has been rare that we’ve seen everything click for this offense as it did in Cleveland.

NOTHING TO LOSE

With the season over, and the Trade Deadline in the rearview mirror, it was obvious to see that the shackles had been removed from the Mets. Just like that, they were playing loosey-goosey and without any pressure. As a result, we saw three well-rounded wins from this team. The offense flowed. The new-look bullpen took full advantage of the opportunity. And the entire team just played with so much joy. We haven’t seen that a whole lot in 2026. The rookies, namely Benge and Ewing, continued to impact the game in a multitude of ways. The season may be over in terms of achieving anything, but this current incarnation of the Mets could be a lot of fun to watch if they keep playing as they did against the Guardians.

3 DOWN

SHAKY START

Nolan McLean‘s latest start was not his strongest. The potential future ace of this staff struggled in the series finale, allowing five earned runs on eight hits with three walks over five innings. McLean did strike out eight, and the Mets did secure the sweep, but the outing was a step back for the rookie. The eight hits allowed tied a career-high, although McLean did record his 213th career strikeout. That’s the fifth most in franchise history in a pitcher’s first 31 starts. Overall, McLean will look to rebound once again.

SIZZLING OUT

McLean wasn’t the only Mets starter to struggle in this series. Christian Scott started out strong on Wednesday, but faded fast and hard. Scott ended up blowing a 3-0 lead, allowing three earned runs on six hits with two walks and seven strikeouts over five innings. Thankfully, the offense and the bullpen bailed Scott out. However, given that we’re now in the dog days of summer, Scott should be going deeper into games, and that remains a concern.

INCONSISTENCIES 

The general consensus seemed to be in favor of the Mets holding onto Francisco Alvarez at the deadline. The talent has always been there, after all. However, as has always been the case with the catcher, inconsistency continues to be the main problem. We saw that in Cleveland. Alvarez recorded just two hits in the series, while striking out a total of six times. Consequently, he’s now hitting just .167/.318/.278/.596 with eight strikeouts and just two extra-base hits over his last five games. As the Mets try to figure out their core for the 2027 season, Alvarez must find a way to be less streaky if he wants to be a big-time contributor.