It is difficult to find any positives after being swept in a three-game series, especially against a division rival. The Mets took a major step backwards over the last week, capped off by three straight losses against the Marlins. A 2-5 road trip after it seemed like the team was starting to turn a corner was quite disappointing. That being said, Christian Scott‘s performance on Sunday is one silver lining.

He had his best outing of the year, throwing 5 2/3 shutout innings with five strikeouts on a season-high 94 pitches. Scott had to pitch around a lot of traffic on the bases. But to his credit, he thrived in those situations. The Marlins had seven plate appearances with at least one runner in scoring position against Scott. They went 0-for-6 with three strikeouts. Scott notably got out of a bases-loaded jam in the bottom of the third, keeping the game scoreless.

Scott has had trouble providing length since returning to the big leagues. Before Sunday, he had only completed five innings in one of his first five starts this season. In comparison, he reached that feat in six of his nine starts before going down with a season-ending injury in 2024. With the Mets struggling for answers in the back of their rotation, Scott pitching deeper into games consistently would be a major boost.

Jonah Tong pitched well in his season debut and appears to be sticking around. Sean Manaea showed signs of improvement in his outing on Friday. David Peterson returned to the rotation last week and earned a win, which was his first start in just over three weeks. With Clay Holmes out for the foreseeable future, the Mets desperately need help in the rotation. There are far bigger issues, most of which revolve around the offense. But there is no denying that more length from all of the starters would be a big boost.