3 UP

1. Off the Snide

The Mets entered into this series in an unfathomably bad funk at the plate. With the exception of Jeff McNeil, no one was hitting. Specifically, Brandon Nimmo was in the midst of an 0-for-28 streak at the plate, and Robinson Cano was in the midst of an 0-for-14 streak at the plate. That’s how an offense averages under two runs per game in the beginning of May.

On Tuesday, the Mets would snap out of their funk. Cano would hit a first inning ground rule double. It was the 2,500th of his career, and it was the beginning of a 4-f0r-5 night with two doubles making this easily his best game as a Met.

For Nimmo, you could see him turning the corner as the game progressed. He would draw a walk in the third, and finally in the seventh, Nimmo would get a pitch to hit, and he would drive it for a double. Overall, he was 1-for-3 with a double and two walks. This was very much the Nimmo we all saw last year.

With Cano and Nimmo hitting again, they would help the team score seven runs. It was the first time they scored more than three runs in May, and it was the first time they scored that many in two weeks. With the schedule softening a bit after this series, we may just see this entire Mets offense take off.

2. Alonso Responds

Frankly, Pete Alonso did not come off looking good against Chris Paddack. At the plate, Alonso struck out twice and popped up. After the game, he called Paddack jealous and said he didn’t take too kindly to Paddack’s comments, comments which said Alonso was a great player who deserved to be named the Rookie of the Month.

Clearly, Alonso was bothered by what transpired, and fortunately, he made the Padres pay for it. From the get-go, Alonso looked like a more focused player ready to beat the Padres. In his first at-bat, he had an RBI single. In the field, he made a fine pick of a Amed Rosario short hopped throw. Then, in the ninth, Alonso would send an epic blast hitting the Metal Supply Building.

That blast proved to be the go-ahead homer in a Mets 7-6 victory. That homer and the ensuing bat flip is exactly how you get revenge. In that moment, he sent a clear message to the Paddack, the Padres, and the rest of baseball, he is a feared hitter who is going to make you pay.

3. Schedule Softens

Since April 9, the Mets have played 24 of their last 28 games against teams with a winning record. They’ve had a three city road trip, and they just had a road trip which took them to Milwaukee and San Diego because, apparently, the person in charge of scheduling does not own a map of the United States.

After the day off, the Mets play their next 16 games against teams with a losing record. This should give the Mets a real chance to not only get over .500 but also make serious headway in the division.

3 DOWN

1. Thor’s Mental Lapses

After an epic performance in his previous start, Noah Syndergaard was not good against the Padres, and the blame for the performance rests on his shoulders partially due to his mental lapses.

In the first, the Mets had an opportunity for an inning ending 3-6-1 double play. That never materialized as Syndergaard both overran the bag and whiffed on Amed Rosario‘s throw, which was to the base. In the ensuing half inning, Syndergaard was picked off of second base to end the inning.

In the game, Syndergaard would leave some pitches up and have reduced velocity leading to the Padres hitting two homers. The end result was Syndergaard allowing five runs (four earned) on nine hits. With this poor performance, Syndergaard now sports an ugly 5.14 ERA, and he has allowed the most hits and earned runs in the league.

2. Frazier Completely Lost

When Todd Frazier returned from the Injured List, he provided the Mets with a needed boost in the field playing an excellent third base. His play at third helped dramatically improve the Mets starters ERA and BABIP. Seeing how well he is playing at third, he can’t hit his way out of a paper bag right now.

In 49 plate appearances, he has yet to draw a walk, and he has struck out 32.7 percent of the time. Currently, he is posting career worsts in GB/FB, GB%, and hard hit rate. Overall, this is what rock bottom looks like.

For his part, Frazier has made the Mets decision easy when Jed Lowrie returns from Injured List. There should be no doubt Lowrie is the everyday third baseman. What is in doubt is how long Frazier can remain on the roster. Everyday he hits like this, he makes his spot increasingly more tenuous, and sooner or later, no matter how good his glove is, he is going to force the Mets to DFA him.

3. Bats Are Chili

With the Mets recent slump at the plate, many have been left wondering what has happened to the Mets bats. Looking at it, the answer may just be Chili Davis happened.

So far, this year the Mets have a 1.41 GB/FB, 48.3 GB%, and a 34.7% hard hit rate. The ground ball rates are the bottom three in the majors, and the hard hit percentage puts the Mets in the bottom third of the league. While you may argue this is the result of a slump, it may just be Davis’ influence as the Mets numbers are in accordance with the offensive output in Davis previous two stops.

When the Mets hired Davis as the hitting coach, this is exactly what they should have expected.