It was an ugly week for the Mets. They dropped the first six games of last week, building to an eight-game losing streak heading into Sunday’s game. They managed to salvage a little bit of the week by etching out an extra-innings win against the Rangers on Sunday. This brings the Mets’ record to 77-73 for the season. With this win, the Mets managed to regain the third-place Wild Card spot. They hold a 1.5-game lead over the Giants for the final spot entering Monday.
Offensive Player of the Week: Juan Soto
Juan Soto was one of the only bright spots last week. He slashed .250/.290/.500 with an OPS of .790. He hit two home runs, traveling a distance of 410 and 414 feet. This brought his season total up to 40. He became the first Mets’ left-handed hitter to reach the 40-homer plateau mark, and etched his first-ever 40-30 season. He also scored five runs and drove in five RBIs. In September, Juan Soto is slashing .333/.417/.706 with an OPS of 1.123. He is the most consistent batter in this lineup as of late. The other Mets have to use this as a catalyst to get their own bats going.
Pitcher of the Week: Brandon Sproat
Despite not securing a victory in his start last week, Sproat had a very impressive performance on Saturday. He pitched six innings of scoreless baseball. He gave up six hits, with zero walks, while striking out three batters. What was most notable about Sproat’s performance was his command. He threw 70 pitches with 53 strikes, meaning he only threw 17 balls. He did a phenomenal job at locating his pitches. While he only generated five swings and misses, his fastball topped out at 98.7 mph.
Honorable Mention: Pete Alonso
Things have simply not been going in Alonso’s way lately. Last week, he only slashed .250/.267/.393, but is this week’s Honorable Mention because of his performance on Sunday. In the bottom of the tenth, Pete smashed a three-run home run to right field, giving the Mets the walk-off win to snap their losing streak.
Up Next
There are only 12 games left in the season. The Mets hold a slim margin in the Wild Card standings. All of these games are of crucial importance. The Mets have an off day on Monday. They then host the Padres on Tuesday for a three-game series. The Padres currently hold a five-game lead over the Mets for the second Wild Card spot, so while the Mets will not jump them in the standings, wins can be a great way to create some distance for the teams hot on their tail. Following the Padres, the Mets host the Nationals. The Nationals are currently 25 games under .500. The Mets have to win these, no questions asked.
