Mandatory Credit: Orlando Ramirez-USA TODAY Sports
The Mets have done a lot of good things through the first half of 2021 to dispel the LOLMets moniker they’ve so painfully earned over the years.
Sunday’s loss to the lowly Pirates – in a game they Mets led 5-0 after one inning – was not one of those things.
A four-game split with Pittsburgh wasn’t the worst-case scenario, but it certainly wasn’t what the Mets had in mind headed to the All-Star break. That sting is culled a little by the fact they were able to take two-of-three from the scorching-hot Brewers earlier in the week.
And hey, the Mets have been alone in first place for the better part of the season. They’re tops in the NL East at the break for the first time since 2007. One bad game doesn’t change the fact that the first half of the season has been an objective success.
Weekly Record: 4-3
2021 Record: 47-40 (1st Place, NL East)
162 Game Pace: 88-74
What Went Right: A Major League Lineup
The Mets still aren’t exactly tearing the cover off the ball, but having a fully healthy big-league lineup for the first time since Opening Day has been a breath of fresh air. Brandon Nimmo’s impact cannot be overstated and it’s having a trickle-down effect on the rest of the position players – leading to a much more consistent threat than the last couple of months.
What Went Wrong: Having Four Starting Pitchers
Through no fault of their own, the Mets are down to just four healthy starters in the rotation. Rookie Tylor Megill has been good – though, inefficient – through his first four starts, and the combination of Jacob deGrom, Taijuan Walker and Marcus Stroman have paved the way for the Mets to finish the first half with the best starting pitcher ERA in the majors.
Still, having to try to piece together a game every turn through the rotation has been less than ideal. Sunday’s bullpen game was indicative of that. Carlos Carrasco could reasonably return by the end of the month, but the Mets can’t count on that. They have to add a major-league caliber starter before the deadline.
Stock Up: Jeff McNeil
The second baseman is starting to look much more like a player with a .310 career batting average. Over his last seven games, McNeil is slashing .389/.476/.444. The power numbers aren’t there, but truthfully, he doesn’t need to hit a high volume of homers as long as he’s finding gaps and driving in runs.
Stock Down: Luis Rojas
Let me preface this by saying I am a self-proclaimed Rojas apologist. For all the flack he gets, the second-year manager has done an excellent job of piecing the team together despite immense injury issues.
That being said, Rojas completely bungled the last couple days of the Pittsburgh series over the weekend. The Mets knew in advance they weren’t going to start deGrom on short rest Sunday. They should have pushed Megill back to that nine-inning game, thereby using a bullpen game in one of the seven-inning contests on Saturday.
Also, trying to get two innings out of Miguel Castro and then five outs from a taxed Edwin Diaz ended up costing the Mets the game. Rojas said after the game that he was trying to save Drew Smith in case the game went to extras, but if he was available – which he obviously was – it would have made more sense to try to win the game outright than use him as insurance.
Injury Report
As previously mentioned, Carrasco could be on the precipice of making his Mets debut. He’s been throwing bullpen sessions and a simulated game and by all accounts has looked and felt great in those.
J.D. Davis will join the Mets in Pittsburgh on Friday, giving the lineup a much-needed bat that can thrive off left-handed pitching – something they’ve struggled mightily with all season in his absence.
Next Up
What’s next for the Mets is a much-needed break. Four days off is just what the doctor ordered for this team. They’ll have a chance to get healthier, Pete Alonso gets to defend his Home Run Derby crown Monday and they’ll come out of the break with another three games against the Pirates. Presumably, it’ll happen with their top three in the rotation on the hill.
