3 Up, 3 Down: Mets Finally Sweep A Series

For once, almost everything went right for the New York Mets.

After sweeping the Washington Nationals, the Mets swept a series for the first time since April. They have now won three consecutive games and five of their last seven.

It was a series that saw big-time contributions from some unexpected names, a couple of impressive pitching performances and a number of encouraging trends develop.

Now, does three wins serve as a perfect cure-all? Far from it. But it is a start.

With New York having landed in London today ahead of a two-game set against the Philadelphia Phillies this weekend, let’s dive into another edition of 3 Up, 3 Down…

3 UP

THINGS LOOKING UP

Allow me to start off with a generic observation. As I said up top, three wins doesn’t wipe away all the bad baseball the Mets have played this year. However, the series in Washington was a positive step in the right direction. Okay, so the Nationals aren’t exactly a great baseball team and the first two games were heart attacks waiting to happen. But, more importantly, New York took care of business and Wednesday was a real impressive showing in all aspects. We’ll see if this series win leads to anything, but you have to take the good where you can get it.

GOING LONG

Luis Severino bounced back from a rough last outing to handle business in the series finale on Wednesday. The righty was really impressive, allowing just one run on seven hits with no walks and four strikeouts. As a result, Severino lowered his ERA to 3.25 on the year. And, as a positive byproduct of being so locked in, the veteran was able to provide the Mets a lot of length and give a gassed bullpen a much-needed break.

NEXT MAN UP

The offense was really clicking for the Mets in Washington. And, while the likes of Francisco Lindor and Pete Alonso stayed hot, it was the bottom of the lineup that was the straw that stirred the delicious milkshake. Backup catcher Luis Torrens, recently acquired from the New York Yankees, hit two homers on Wednesday and drove in four runs during the series. Harrison Bader was a major factor as well, finishing the series with seven RBIs. And then there was José Iglesias, who went a combined 5-for-12 with a double and two RBIs against the Nats. I didn’t have Torrens or Iglesias being productive on my Mets bingo card at the start of the year, but if they can help this team turn things around then I’ll take it, especially if the offense continues to average 4.9 runs over an 18-game stretch as they have done since May 18.

3 DOWN

WRITING ON THE WALL

Now, the following could be good or bad depending on what camp you belong in, but appears as though Jeff McNeil’s days with the team could be numbered. That will make some people happy, and others not so happy. But, all in all, it does feel like the writing could be on the wall for McNeil. Benched for three consecutive games, the veteran has had to watch Iglesias be very productive against lefties. If he continues to struggle against southpaws while Iglesias continues to impress and the Mets can’t fully turn things around, then McNeil could become very expendable at the trade deadline.

HURT AGAIN

Starling Marte was scratched from the lineup on Wednesday with right knee discomfort. Now, the Mets were quick to stress that they didn’t view the injury as serious, but I’d argue there is still reason to be concerned. After all, Marte has had his fair share of injuries in a short span of time. At 35-years-old, it is fair to wonder if his body can handle the grueling nature of a full 162-game schedule. The news also came at the worst possible time given that Marte was 10-for-22 with two doubles, three walks and six RBIs over his last six games prior to being scratched.

HEART ATTACK WAITING TO HAPPEN

The Mets seem determined to make life interesting for their fans this year. I’ve lost count of the amount of games this year that have had heart attack potential. By that, I mean this team has a special ability to absolutely self-implode in the late innings as it nearly happened in the first two games of this series. Adam Ottavino’s struggles continued after he allowed two runs on two hits before leaving Monday’s game with the bases loaded in the ninth. Thankfully, his bacon was saved by Jake Diekman. Then, on Tuesday, Reed Garrett made things too close for comfort by giving up a run and two walks in the final frame of the contest as well. The Mets were able to escape from the jaws of death this time, but considering how overworked that bullpen is, we could be in for some more nerve-shredding moments late in games from here on out.

I’ll see you next week with a nice cup of tea to break down the London series.