After beginning August with a comfortable lead atop the NL East, the Mets enter September 5 1/2 games behind the division-leading Atlanta Braves. The only reason the team (9-19 in August) was able to avoid a truly historically awful month was because they got hot in their last three games, defeating the Nationals twice and the Marlins once.
But besides those three games, as well as a three game sweep of the Nationals mid-August as well, the Mets could barely muster a win. Their low point was a 2-11 stretch against the Dodgers and Giants, in which the Dodgers and Giants both swept the Mets in Queens.
To cap off the month, Met players, including star infielders Francisco Lindor and Javier Báez booed the fans, causing a New York media storm.
Despite the mess that August was, the team had two clear star players – Pete Alonso and Aaron Loup, who not only excelled in August, but have been consistently good for the Mets all season.
As September begins, the Mets remain within striking distance – just ever so slightly – of a playoff spot. The team will need Alonso and Loup to replicate their dominant August performances. Let’s take a look back at August to see what made both of these Met players so successful.
Hitter of the Month: Pete Alonso
In 28 games in August, Alonso slashed .262/.358/.486 in 123 plate appearances. Both his plate appearance and at-bat totals were season-highs for any month he’s played in 2021, and the Mets needed Alonso in a big way for every one of these times at the plate. When times got down for the Mets, Alonso always seemed to be a light in an otherwise dark place. He belted six home runs last month, including a walk-off blast on August 12 in the bottom of the seventh inning (the second-game of a doubleheader sweep).
His most impressive long ball of the month though was arguably a 447-footer that soared over the left field foul pole, on August 26 against the Giants. While his heroics tied the game 2-2 in the sixth inning, the Mets would go on to lose the game (a typical theme of the month).
Doing his best to produce offense, Alonso also walked 11 times in August, another monthly-high for his 2021 campaign. But for a Mets team that scored two or fewer runs in an unreal 12 games this month, Alonso could only help so much.
Alonso led the team with six home runs, 16 runs scored, and 14 RBIs in the month. He was also tied for the team lead with two stolen bases.
Unfortunately, many of Alonso’s biggest hits occurred in losses. Hopefully September brings a new storyline and Alonso’s success can carry over to more wins for this team in need of any offense they can get.
Pitcher of the Month: Aaron Loup
The Busch-drinking, flame-throwing, run-preventing LHP was almost perfect for the Mets this month. While he pitched just 11.0 innings (all out of the bullpen), he could not have been much better in his time on the hill. Loup’s August stat line is as beautiful to the eye as it was to watch him pitch this month: 3 hits, 1 run, 3 walks, 10 strikeouts. The lone run he surrendered was not until August 29, a solo blast off the bat of Juan Soto. By the month’s end, his incredible pitching resulted in a 0.82 ERA and a 0.545 WHIP.
Four of his appearances saw him pitch a full inning while getting out all three batters in the frame. Amazingly, three of those gems were consecutive appearances against the Giants and Dodgers. As the calendar flips to September, Loup’s season ERA now sits at a stellar 1.20.
From August 12 to 21, Loup pitched six games, a total of 4 1/3 hitless, scoreless innings. In that span, he walked just one batter and struck out three.
We know by now the Mets inexcusable tendency to lose so many close games. In August alone, Loup pitched in nine games that the Mets lost by two runs or fewer. As his success shows, the Mets failure to win close games was no fault of Loup’s.
Even given the new “three-batter” rule that MLB implemented this season, Loup has still found success aside from his typical lefty specialist role. As great as he was in August, he has been that good all season. He is likely the team’s pitching MVP this season, a season that has seen inconsistency from most of the team’s starters and no other true star out of the bullpen.
