3 Up, 3 Down: Mets Fail to Clinch Rockies Sweep

Things went well for the New York Mets in Colorado, but they could have gone even better.

The Mets took two out of three from the Rockies, but missed out on the sweep following a sloppy series finale. Even when winning, this team is still showing plenty of warts.

Still, the Mets have now won four of six games and are showing some signs of improvement. There is a lot of work to be done, but we have seen some positive steps forward on this road trip so far.

And, on that note, let’s recap everything from the Rockies series in the latest edition of 3 Up, 3 Down…

3 UP

SIGNS OF LIFE

As mentioned above, the Mets showed some incremental signs of improvement to start the road trip. They are 4-2 so far, including beating the Rockies twice in Colorado. Granted, the Mets aren’t exactly playing powerhouses right now, and the true test will come against tougher opposition. Still, you can only play what is in front of you, and the Mets, for the most part, have taken care of business. Sure, there is plenty more work to be done before we can truly buy in. We also need to see a lot more before we believe that this team is capable of mounting a true turnaround. But, all in all, we did see some progress against the Rockies.

CARSON DAILY

Carson Benge sure looks more and more comfortable at the big league level right now. The rookie has been red-hot on the road trip so far, including against the Rockies. He had four hits in three games, including a home run. He also finished the series with three runs scored and three RBIs. If that wasn’t enough, Benge showed his skills in the outfield by making a stunning diving catch. All in all, Benge is looking more and more like a true impact player with each passing game.

SOMETHING TO BUILD ON

Christian Scott continues to trend in the right direction. The starter showed a lot of promise again in his latest start on Thursday. Scott tossed 4 2/3 innings in the series finale, allowing just one earned run on three hits and two walks with six strikeouts. Furthermore, Scott is proving to be effective with both his cutter and his fastball. On a strict pitch count, Scott has more to offer for sure, but he is showing that he could be a key part of this rotation going forward.

3 DOWN

LACK OF KILLER INSTINCT

Two things can be right at the same time. So, with that in mind, while the Mets did show signs of improvement in Colorado, they also missed a big opportunity. By playing with a lack of urgency in the finale, they cost themselves the chance of a first series sweep of the year. By putting out a weakened lineup, with the offense going 1-for-9 with RISP, the Mets failed to further make up some ground. Given the position they are in, it is crucial that they take advantage of bad teams by sweeping series and going for the kill. Progress or not, it is disappointing that the Mets didn’t sweep the Rockies.

KILLER MISTAKE

Whether you want to believe Jake McCarthy‘s grand slam on Thursday was foul or not, you can’t dispute that Craig Kimbrel had a big role to play in the loss. He loaded the bases and then proceeded to give up the dagger, resulting in the Mets missing out on the series sweep. Again, you can argue that McCarthy’s home run should have been ruled a foul ball, but you can’t argue that Kimbrel put the Mets in a bad spot to begin with by struggling right out the gate. It was not a good outing, and it proved costly.

HOT AND COLD

Mark Vientos is a perplexing case study right now. The young infielder drove in a pair of runs in the series opener, but then proceeded to go hitless the rest of the series. In all, Vientos went a combined 0-for-8 in the final two games of the series. You would think that his power would play great at Coors Field. Instead, Vientos was a non-factor for most of the series. Looking at the bigger picture, it is fair to wonder just how big an impact player Vientos can be if he continues to struggle with consistency.