3 Up, 3 Down: Pham Leads Mets to Series Win Over Giants

After escaping a miserable month of June in which they failed to win a single (complete) series, the New York Mets turned the page to begin July. In finally winning a rubber game, they took two of three from the San Francisco Giants to get back into the win column. In a season that hasn’t given Mets fans much to cheer about, at least there was something to make them smile.

3 Up

Pham-bulous

New month, same Tommy Pham. The right-handed batter went an outstanding 7-for-9 in the series, including three-hit contests at each end. He blasted a home run in the opener and had three doubles over the next two games. Pham is now up to a .295 batting average with an .892 OPS, and he’s earned everyday playing time. Starling Marte started just one game of the series, letting Pham split time in the outfield while other Mets players took the DH at-bats.

As Pham continues to rake, the chances increase that he will be dealt at the trade deadline. If he can keep this up, the Mets should be able to get a nice return for him even with his age (35) and lone-year contract.

Strong Start from Verlander

Justin Verlander has been an abject disappointment for most of his time with the Mets. Injury could be a part of it, as it’s possible that his teres major strain has bothered him more than he let on. His start against the Giants was more along the lines of what the Mets expected when they signed him to a deal worth $43 million per year.

In seven strong innings, Verlander allowed one unearned run on five hits while walking one against six strikeouts. It took him 102 pitches to finish seven, a solid 14.6 per inning, unlike his previous start in which he labored through a high pitch count to eke his way through five innings.

The lone run Verlander gave up came in his final inning of work, when a throwing error by Pete Alonso on a groundball to first gave the Giants first and third. Davis then scored on a double play ball to make the score 4-1. Verlander began to wear, as he allowed a double and a walk to the next two batters before striking out Brandon Crawford as the tying run at the plate.

Verlander lowered his ERA to 3.66, which is certainly not where the Mets expected it to be but better than his 4.85 mark just a few weeks ago. He is still not getting the kind of strikeout numbers fans had come to expect from him (33rd percentile), but finding a way is what an ace is supposed to do.

McHits (Finally)

Jeff McNeil endured a brutal month of June in which he hit .196/.267/.283. It’s not that July has started off all that much better, but he did go 4-for-12 overall in the Giants series, including a pair of two-hit games, two doubles, and three RBI. McNeil will take the hits wherever he can get them, including on an infield single with the bases loaded that drove in two runs.

3 Down

Anything But Relief

In recent weeks, the Mets’ bullpen has been more of a culprit in their losses than even their starting pitching. Despite the series victory, this set was no different. In the opener, the Mets were leading 4-2 in the eighth inning when Buck Showalter decided to actually go to David Robertson, something he had opted against in a head-scratching decision earlier in the week. After getting Wilmer Flores on strikes and suffering a throwing error from Alonso, Robertson walked the next batter and then gave up a go-ahead three-run homer to Patrick Bailey. That was the difference in the game.

Although Drew Smith and Adam Ottavino closed out Verlander’s strong start in the middle game, the bullpen ran into trouble again in the finale. David Peterson departed after four innings of one-run ball that included some dancing in and out of trouble. Grant Hartwig got through the next two innings, although he gave up two hits and a walk and also walked a tightrope. Jeff Brigham entered for the seventh and promptly gave up a walk followed by a two-run homer. After a strikeout and a single, Dominic Leone entered and gave up a double to J.D. Davis, which scored another run to bring the Giants to within 5-4.

However, Leone got a strikeout, and after an intentional walk, Brooks Raley got a groundout to end the inning. Raley got wild in the eighth, giving up a hit by pitch, wild pitch, walk, and another hit by pitch, but he struck out Davis with the bases loaded to preserve the Mets’ lead, which had grown to 6-4 at that point.

With an 8-4 lead in the ninth, Robertson came in to close the game out and got a one-two-three inning. Still, it was another roller coaster for the Mets’ bullpen and showed once again that there is a dearth of reliable arms in there. Robertson is still mostly effective, and Raley has done a nice job. Besides that, though, even players who pitched well at points, such as Brigham and Leone, have shown why they were marginal major league players and/or available on the waiver wire.

Another Tough Series for Alonso

I was originally going to put Brandon Nimmo in this spot, but Alonso’s play in the field offset his three-RBI finale. Overall, the Mets’ first baseman went 2-for-9 in the series with a homer and three RBI in the 8-4 victory. However, he was 0-for-5 in the first two games and also committed two throwing errors that led to runs. In the first game, his error caused the homer that Robertson allowed to be a game-winning blow rather than merely game-tying. In the middle contest, his mistake allowed the tying run to come to the plate for the Giants in the seventh inning.

Alonso is certainly glad to see the other side of June. He went 3-for-19 with two homers over his first five games of the month, then exited after a hit by pitch in the sixth game, which landed him on the injured list. He returned early from the IL on June 18, only to go 7-for-47 for the rest of the month. Overall, he slashed .152/.222/.364 over 66 June at-bats.

Can’t Catch a Hit

What has happened to Francisco Álvarez? Despite hitting a home run in the middle game, he still finished the series 1-for-7 with a walk and a strikeout. He’s now down to .140/.213/.233 over his last 15 games, falling deeper into a funk rather than powering his way out of it. Álvarez hit .151/.205/.329 overall in the month, his four homers all coming before June 11. Overall, he’s down to .214/.272/.460.

Meanwhile, Omar Narváez has done nothing since his return from the IL. He went just 3-for-23 in June, all three of his hits singles, a .130/.222/.130 mark. He went 0-for-2 with a sacrifice fly in the middle game of the series.

Combined, Álvarez and Narváez went 14-for-96 (.146) in June, which is eerily reminiscent of the .125 mark that caused Tomás Nido to be designated for assignment. Obviously, Álvarez’s power separates him from that comparison, but it shows that a position the Mets thought they had covered has once again become a lineup hole until the rookie and/or the veteran can figure it out.

The Mets head to Arizona for a three-game set, beginning with a July 4 showdown (4:10 p.m. ET).