3 Up 3 Down: Starters Help Mets Beat Padres

The Mets took the series from the Padres on Wednesday night at Citi Field, beating the team that ended their push toward the 2022 World Series.

The Mets got good performances from David Peterson and Tylor Megill, two starters that were supposed to be the sixth and seventh starters in their rotation. Meanwhile, familiar names struggled in the series, and may see their time come to a close in Queens soon.

3 Up

More Than Just Depth 

The Mets entered the season with multiple injuries to their starting rotation. José Quintana won’t join the Mets until at least July, and Justin Verlander hasn’t made his Mets debut as well. Therefore, Peterson and Megill — who were supposed to be depth pieces in 2023 — have been thrust into the top five and cemented themselves nicely against the Padres.

Despite taking the loss, Peterson looked good against a lineup filled with right-handed all-stars. He struck out six batters, walked two, and only allowed two runs over 5 2/3 innings. Peterson’s successful start against the Padres was more telling of his talent after he struggled and gave up five earned runs against the Brewers.

Megill was also impressed in this series against the Friars. After allowing a first-inning home run to Juan Soto, Megill settled down, and tossed four additional scoreless innings to give the Mets a chance to erase the deficit and eventually win the rubber game. While Megill was supposed to start in Syracuse, injuries have allowed him to claw his way back into the starting rotation. Hopefully, the Mets get this version of Megill moving forward.

The Utility Pitcher 

The early MVP of the Mets bullpen in 2023 has undoubtedly been David Robertson. The ex-Yankee hasn’t allowed a run in 6 1/3 innings, and displayed his dominance in this series against the Padres.

Roberston carved up the top of the Padres lineup on Monday, striking out Trent Grisham and Soto while inducing a fly-out from Manny Machado to hold the Mets’ 5-0 lead. Robertson also pitched in game three on Wednesday, this time in a higher-leverage situation. Soto came up to bat in the top of the seventh inning with two men on base, but was struck out by Robertson to retire the side. Robertson then pitched a clean top of the eighth, which got the ball to Adam Ottavino, who eventually secured a 5-2 Mets victory.

Robertson has been worth every penny this offseason. He struck out four batters and allowed two singles in 2 1/3 innings against the Padres. He also struck out Soto twice in the series, further improving his impressive stats against lefties this season (.182/.182/.182 slash line against.)

Mets Get Revenge Against Padres

The Mets got revenge against the Padres after they abruptly ended their season in the 2022 Wild Card round. The Mets took two games out of the three-game series, and could have swept the Friars if they completed their ninth-inning comeback attempt against Josh Hader in game two.

While the Mets offensively struggled throughout the series against the Padres, winning the series was a testament to their skill and manager. New York got pulverized by the Milwaukee Brewers — the only other team the Mets have played with recent playoff success — and had something to prove against the Padres. Winning the series should quiet the ludicrous narratives surrounding the Mets.

3 Down

Where is Brett Baty?

Eduardo Escobar‘s early season struggles continued against the Padres. The switch-hitting veteran went 0-for-7 in the series, while walking once and driving in one run with a sacrifice fly.

To put it nicely, Escobar’s early season performance has been abysmal. He’s slashing .103/.143/.205, with a -6 OPS+ and -0.5 bWAR. He is a glaring hole at third base for the Mets, and his time in Queens may end soon. Brett Baty has dominated Triple-A pitching so far this season, and currently leads all batters at the level in average exit velocity — that includes Fernando Tatis Jr.

Bullpen Over Usage

While the starters performed well against the Padres, the Mets had trouble getting length from them. Peterson recorded the longest start with 5 2/3 innings, but Megill and Scherzer both only recorded five innings. The Mets rotation as a whole needs to pitch more innings, especially Carlos Carrasco who has only recorded 8 2/3 innings in two starts.

The Mets have an off-day Thursday to rejuvenize their bullpen, but need to get more length moving forward. The bullpen has already pitched 46 innings in 2023, and Robertson — one of the Mets closer this season — is on pace to pitch 75 innings in 2023. The Mets bullpen is currently 12th in MLB with a 3.72 ERA and is in danger of being overworked in the first month of the season.

Power Outage

On the surface, it looks like the Mets had a good series against the Padres. They went 8-for-26 with runners in scoring position — a .307 average — and scored 12 runs in three games. However, there were points in both games where the Mets’ offensive struggles were highlighted.

In the first inning of game two, the Mets loaded the bases with nobody out. As everyone knows, the Mets failed to score in the first, and went on to lose the game 4-2. The Mets also loaded the bases with nobody out in game three, but only scored one via a Brandon Nimmo ground-ball single.

The Mets need to be better going forward with producing runs. This team is not going to score with the home run — only Pete Alonso and Francisco Lindor have multiple home runs — and need to find ways to score. As of now, the Mets are tied for last in MLB with 4.54 runners left in scoring position per game.