3 UP

1. Return of the Matz

Believe it or not, we have seen this before from Steven Matz. In his first start of the 2016 season, he was shellacked by the Marlins. In 1.2 innings, he allowed seven runs. Matz rebounded by going off on a dominant 11 start stretch where he had a 1.91 ERA.

After Matz’s horrible game against the Phillies, he’s now made two very good starts including yesterday’s effort where he allowed two earned over seven.

It was a much needed start from Matz, and it paved the way for the Mets to snap their losing streak.

2. Deep Six

The Mets bullpen has been justifiably maligned, but through all the criticism, there is something they do extraordinarily well – hold the lead.

The Mets have entered the sixth inning with a lead 13 times. They have won all 13 of those games because their bullpen has held the lead.

One of the biggest reasons why is Edwin Diaz has been great as the Mets closer going a perfect 8-for-8 in save opportunities. Overall, he has been everything the Mets had hoped he would be.

3. Nimmo Is Back

With how well he’s played lately, this would be first, but now, Brandon Nimmo doesn’t lead-off anymore.

Maybe it’s time to revisit that decision. In the series against the Brewers, Nimmo was 6-for-11 with a walk.

This is exactly the type of Nimmo who powered the Mets offense last year. Now that the injuries and slow start are behind him, maybe he can be that guy again.

3 DOWN

1. d’Ouble Standard

Travis d’Arnaud had one of the worst games we’ve ever seen a Mets catcher have. A passed ball. Wild pitches. Stolen bases. Couldn’t frame a thing. Even when he did something right and got a hit, he was thrown out trying to stretch a single into a double.

Seeing him play, you could see he was noticeably and unnecessarily rushed back. After the worst game of his life, he was designated for assignment. Seeing his play, you could hardly blame the Mets.

And yet, this is the same team who has not just kept Jason Vargas on the roster, but they also outright refused to take him out of the rotation despite his inability to go five innings. The decision cost them Gio Gonzalez.

In the end, it’s funny how there are different standards for a backup catcher than there are for a fifth starter. It’s less funny when you see there’s different standards for former Van Wagenen clients than there are for players who had other representation.

2. Struggling Aces

The Mets knew there was going to be a lengthy rain delay. They knew Jacob deGrom was coming off the Injured List with an elbow injury. Corey Oswalt was there.

Common sense said protect your ace and start Oswalt. Actually, no, common sense dictated the Mets call the game and have a split double header the next day.

Instead, the Mets pushed on and played in wet and poor conditions. Their ace should throw his first pitch almost three hours later than scheduled, and he’d allow five earned over four innings.

As astutely noted by MMO‘s Logan Barer, deGrom 0-3 with a 9.69 ERA in rain delayed starts, and he is 2-0 with a 0.00 ERA in his other starts.

Speaking of struggling aces, Noah Syndergaard struggled again. He has now pitched just five innings in each of his past three starts. In all of those starts, he has allowed 5+ runs. This isn’t the Syndergaard we know.

While there are stats which we can touch upon to show this is really poor luck or just a blip, they’re the mental aspect. After the game, Syndergaard said he’s losing faith in his offspeed stuff, and he can’t get a real feel for the baseball.

For those who believe the baseballs have been changed, you now have more than your instinct or the stats from Mets starters. You now have a pitcher’s description of what’s wrong with the ball and the negative impact it’s having on pitchers.

3. Squirrel Falling to Earth

When the Mets jumped out of the gate, Jeff McNeil was doing his best Ichiro Suzuki impersonation spraying the ball all over the field and BABIPing teams to death. Through his first 17 games, he was hitting .424.

Over the next nine games, he’s just 8-for-34 (.235). That’s troubling for a player who has a low walk rate.

This isn’t the first time he’s slumped in his brief career, but it is the most prolonged tough stretch he’s had. Hopefully, this proves to be more of a blip than teams having figured him out.