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3 UP

Polar Bears Love May

In the series finale against the St. Louis Cardinals, Pete Alonso hit a two run walk-off homer with an accompanying jump shot to give the Mets yet another series win. It was the capper for a big series for Alonso which saw him hit two homers with seven RBI.

Going deeper, Alonso is having a big month. Over 18 games so far, he is hitting .309/.397/.618 with three doubles, six homers, and 19 RBI. Keep in mind, that is before Alonso heads to play a three game set at Coors Field.

Bullpen Depth

The Mets starting pitching took a hit leading them to have to go to a bullpen game in the first end of the doubleheader. Trevor Williams stepped up big time pitching four scoreless innings. Really, he has been very good for the Mets eating innings over his last three appearances allowing just three earned over 11 1/3 innings.

After Williams, Jake Reed threw two scoreless. Right there, the Mets had six scoreless without having to even contemplate using their middle to high leverage relievers.

Then, in the second end of the doubleheader Adonis Medina again stepped up big for the Mets throwing 2 2/3 scoreless.

This just speaks to how deep the bullpen depth is for the Mets. In addition to the aforementioned pitchers, the Mets have gotten quality outings from Stephen Nogosek, and Colin Holderman looks like a reliever who could stay with the Mets all season with three innings without allowing an earned run and picking up his first win.

Just think about this for a second. Relievers who did not begin the season on the Opening Day roster have combined to throw 17 1/3 innings allowing just three earned. That’s a 1.56 ERA from a group of pitchers who were viewed as depth entering the season.

There are many reasons why this team is in first place, and this is right up there. It speaks not just to the depth of the pitching but also to how this Mets team is getting contributions up and down this roster.

Put Me in Coach, I’m Ready to Play

Dominic Smith told Anthony Rieber of Newsday he loves the Mets, but he just wants to play everyday. To be fair to the Mets here, Smith had not showed them anything where they were forced to put him in the lineup. Until now.

Smith got the start in the first end of the doubleheader going 2-for-4 with a run, double, and RBI. In the second end of the doubleheader, he drew a key walk in a ninth inning rally which fell short. Of note in that at-bat, Smith noticeable didn’t chase pitches he had all season allowing him to draw that walk where he had otherwise struck out.

Smith followed that with a start in the third game of the series going 1-for-3 with a walk and an RBI. The RBI hit was an opposite field single. Again, this was a big step in the right direction for him.

Overall, Smith has said he wants to play everyday, and he backed that up with his play. If he plays like this, the Mets can and should be that team who plays him everyday.

3 DOWN

Scherzer Down

Look, you can never afford to lose a Max Scherzer from the rotation. There’s no replacing him. He’s a future Hall of Famer who is still pitching like one. That said, the Mets REALLY couldn’t afford to lose him now, and yet they will for at least 6-8 weeks . . . likely more.

Jacob deGrom is still not close to rehab games. Tylor Megill is on the IL with a right biceps injury. There is no more pitching depth remaining, and that is before you consider the Mets are about to head out to Colorado for three which is always a pitching nightmare. After that, it’s the very good San Francisco Giants pitching staff.

The good news is Trevor Williams has stepped up recently, and he will be “on-turn” when Scherzer’s spot in the rotation comes next. Williams is going to have to be the best he ever has (and he has in a Mets uniform) because right now Scherzer and deGrom are now in a race to see who comes back first, and that race is much more a marathon than a sprint.

Just Doubling Down

Dominic Smith finally got going at the plate, and yet, for some reason, J.D. Davis was forced into the lineup in the series finale against right-handed pitcher Dakota Hudson. Davis would go 0-for-4 with three strikeouts.

It is part of a nightmare season for Davis where he is hitting .177/.297/.290 (82 wRC+) striking out 28.4% of the time. He’s back to a 2.00 GB/FB, and he’s been easy to shift against.

Not all of this is Davis’ fault. This is really part of the aftermath of the Mets trying to see what they had in Robinson Cano over the first month of the season. Because of this, both Davis and Smith have had difficulty all season trying to get either one in rhythm, and it’s further compounded by the team looking to make sure they both get playing time even at the expense of the other player who finally figures something out.

While the Mets have done many good things this season, they have completely and utterly botched this one, and they continue to do so.

Life Is Cruel

The Mets did not have Starling Marte for this series due to the unexpected death of his beloved grandmother. Marte’s grandmother raised him since he was nine years old because of the death of his mother.

Marte’s grandmother’s death comes nearly two years on the anniversary of his wife’s sudden death from a heart attack while she was awaiting ankle surgery. His wife died days after his daughter’s fourth birthday. Forever, Marte will associate the joy of his daughter being born with the tragedy of his wife and grandmother dying on this week.

There’s nothing to say to this other than life is cruel. Marte is at the pinnacle of his profession and is beloved by teammates, but he has experienced just unimaginable pain in his life. Obviously, we wish him and his family our condolences, and as fans, the only way we can truly embrace him is to give him a standing ovation when the team returns to Citi Field.