The New York Mets just couldn’t get anything going offensively in Toronto.

The Mets dropped two out of three to the Blue Jays, losing a fifth straight series as a result. They’ve also lost 10 of their last 12 games.

Without doubt, the driving force behind the woes in Toronto was a real lack of offense. The lineup was lifeless for most of the series. Yet another clunker from Freddy Peralta on the mound also didn’t help.

On that note, it is time to dive into another edition of 3 Up, 3 Down…

Jun 24, 2026; New York City, New York, USA; New York Mets pitcher Nolan McLean (26) delivers a pitch during the first inning against the Chicago Cubs at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

3 UP

CANADIAN GEM

Nolan McLean put on an absolute show in Toronto on Tuesday night. Having allowed six earned runs in his last outing, the righty needed a bounce-back. And he sure delivered against the Blue Jays. McLean looked like the ace we all know he could one day be. He tossed six innings of scoreless ball, walking two batters while striking out seven. He was pitching at the peak of his powers. More importantly, the start against the Cubs aside, McLean seems to be settling into a real groove now. If he can pitch as he did on Tuesday night the rest of the way, then that will certainly help to settle things down somewhat for the Mets.

DEFENSIVE PROWESS

You wouldn’t automatically call Bo Bichette a defensive wizard. He has had to suffer through some teething problems while learning to play third base this season. Even playing as a natural shortstop, Bichette has always been below-average defensively. However, the two-time All-Star showed plenty of defensive chops in the 3-0 shutout win over Toronto on Tuesday night. Playing against the team that drafted him, Bichette made a number of key plays and big throws. His stellar night on the defensive side of the ball set the tone in what proved to be the only win of the series.

GETTING BACK IN A GROOVE

Francisco Lindor appears to be getting back to his old self. The shortstop has been eased back in ever since coming off the IL. Well, in Toronto, we saw some encouraging signs. Lindor hit a pair of homers in the series. He now has two homers, five RBIs, two walks, and four runs scored over his last seven games. While the offense struggled against the Blue Jays, Lindor settling back into a groove can certainly be taken as a big positive.

Jun 28, 2026; New York City, New York, USA; New York Mets catcher Francisco Alvarez (4) reacts after striking out against the Philadelphia Phillies during the fourth inning at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: John Jones-Imagn Images

3 DOWN

BAD OPTICS

Juan Soto just doesn’t help himself sometimes. As otherworldly talented as the superstar hitter is, he can frustrate with what looks to be a lack of hustle. We saw it the other week when Soto cost his team a run by failing to hustle out of the box to first base. And we saw another example of it on Monday, albeit with bigger consequences. In the bottom of the first, George Springer led off for Toronto and lined a ball into left field. Soto misplayed the ball, allowing it to bounce over his glove and towards the wall. More egregious, however, was Soto’s reaction to the whiff. He casually strolled after the ball, allowing A.J. Ewing to clean up the mess, with the rookie then fumbling the ball. The end result? Springer scored a little league home run to set the tone for the rest of the game. It was not a good look all-around for Soto, who just looks way too laidback sometimes.

MASSIVE LETDOWN

If there was an award for biggest disappointment of the season, Freddy Peralta would arguably have a pretty good claim as of right now. The veteran starter has underwhelmed overall in Queens, while also serving up some real clunkers recently. That was the case on Wednesday. In the series finale, Peralta was lit up, giving up five earned runs on seven hits with three walks and four strikeouts. With the offense doing nothing yet again, Peralta’s stinker on the mound ultimately doomed the Mets. Looking at the bigger picture, Peralta has now allowed a total of 23 earned runs over his last six starts. It is hard to see the starter getting much back in a trade at this point. And, if he does stay in Queens, then it remains to be seen if Peralta can get the train back on the tracks and be the kind of ace this team needs. That seems very doubtful right now.

LIFELESS TO THE END

This hapless offense is never going to figure things out, is it? The lineup was pretty much a non-factor throughout the series against Toronto. In total, the Mets managed just seven runs and 17 hits. They also went a combined 0-for-17 with runners in scoring position. All three of New York’s runs in the series finale came when the game was already effectively over. It is hard to win games when you can’t score runs. All in all, this offense remains lifeless. The entire lineup struggles to make adjustments on the fly. We’re now in July and, barring some unforeseen miracle, it is hard to have faith in this offense showing much improvement the rest of the way.