Players of the Week: Stroman Steps Up, Alonso Carries Offense

This past week was another frustrating one for the New York Mets.

Heading into play on Tuesday, they find themselves still sitting in third place in the National League East, but are now 6-1/2 games behind the red-hot Atlanta Braves.

As has been the case of late, the pitching did enough to keep the Mets in the game, but the offense was nonexistent. They spoiled numerous chances, and as always, left multiple runners in scoring position. Four of the seven games this week were one-run losses.

The Mets went a total of 2-5 on the week against the Dodgers and Giants. The lone wins came in the final games of both series, salvaging the sweep.

They’ll wrap up the 13 consecutive games with the Dodgers and Giants to open the week at home. The fourth-place Washington Nationals will then come to town for a three-game weekend set. 

Hitter of the Week: Pete Alonso

There weren’t too many bright spots for the Mets offense this week. They struggled yet again, and couldn’t really come up with that big hit throughout the week. The exception came in the two wins on Wednesday and Sunday afternoon. 

Kevin Pillar launched a go-ahead three-run shot in the 6-2 win over the Giants. Javier Baez then provided a spark in his return on Sunday, doubling twice. J.D. Davis also reached three times and drove in four in Sunday’s win.

However, the most consistent bat for the Mets this week was Pete Alonso. Since the break, Alonso has been carrying the struggling Mets offense on his back.

He has 11 home runs and a .925 OPS since winning the Derby in Colorado. Alonso recorded a hit in all seven games this past week, extending his hitting streak to eight games.

He’s slashing .313/.389/.688 with a double, triple, three homers, and 8 RBI in that span. Alonso now has 28 homers, 73 RBI, and a .847 OPS on the season.

Alonso certainly has done his part for the Mets offense this season. If they have any hopes of getting back into the hunt, they’ll need some of the other bats to start backing Big Pete up.

They’ll have some favorable matchups against the Giants this week, facing off with Sammy Long, Johnny Cueto, and Alex Wood.

Pitcher of the Week: Marcus Stroman

For the most part, the Mets pitching staff threw pretty well this week. Rookie right-hander Tylor Megill provided the Mets with six more strong innings of one-run ball and struck out six in the lone win against the Giants.

Taijuan Walker allowed four runs in the opener with the Dodgers, but threw well enough to keep the Mets in the game. The same can be said for Carlos Carrasco, who bounced back and allowed three runs over five innings of work.

As has been the case since Jacob deGrom went down, Marcus Stroman served as the Mets’ stop-gate on Sunday afternoon.

Needing a win, Stroman went out and delivered for his squad. Stro allowed two runs on four hits while walking two and striking out six over six innings.

He allowed delivered a quality start earlier in the week, holding the Giants to three runs over seven innings, while striking out a season-high nine batters. He also threw a season-high 114 pitches in a gutsy effort. 

Stroman continues to be one of the more underrated pitchers in the game. On the season he’s recorded 13 quality starts, struck out 129 batters, and has posted a 2.85 ERA and 1.11 WHIP.

He’s tied for second with 19 starts in which he has allowed two earned runs or fewer, and ranks in the top-10 in innings pitched, FIP, starts, HR/9, and BB/9 amongst a handful of other categories.

Stroman is certainly making a very strong case to stay in New York long-term after this season. He’s lined up to take the mound next on Saturday night against Juan Soto and the depleted Washington Nationals.