The Mets received two prospects. The higher-ranked one at the time was outfielder Drew Gilbert, who, after a couple mixed seasons in the Mets minor league system, was flipped with Blade Tidwell and José Buttó for reliever Tyler Rogers at the 2025 trade deadline. Rogers was really good for the Mets over the two months and change he was in Queens, but the Mets failed to make the postseason. He left in free agency, ending that branch of the Verlander trade tree. Gilbert was a big leaguer before the end of 2025, but doesn’t look like much more than a back-end bench outfielder at this point, even with his moderate improvements in 2026.

The other was Ryan Clifford. While he was generally considered the second of the two prospects in the trade, Clifford was still a big get for the Mets. He had his believers too, with some thinking he was a bigger get than Gilbert. While that was the minority opinion at the time, it was out there.

In a way, Clifford received one of the largest signing bonuses handed out to any prospect in history. The money just didn’t go to him. It’s not quite that simple — the Mets were already on the hook for Verlander’s full contract whether they liked it or not before they traded him — but the implication was that the Mets could have taken lesser prospects to shed more money. Instead, they chose to eat well over 50% of the remaining money owed to Verlander to get Gilbert and Clifford.

With Gilbert gone and nothing to show for him besides 27 and 1/3 innings of a reliever in a playoff-less season, the entire $35M investment essentially rides on Clifford.

Since joining the Mets, Clifford has been the prototypical three true outcomes player. He has prodigious power and has been one of the best home run hitters in the minor leagues whenever he wasn’t playing for the High-A Brooklyn Cyclones in the power-drain of an environment that is Maimonides Park. In 2025, Clifford’s 29 home runs ranked sixth across the entire minor leagues. In 2026, his 14 home runs through June 6 are tied for 13th.

He also has prodigious swing-and-miss issues. However, while the strikeout rate was still high in previous years, he had actually been making steady improvements. That is, until this season. After getting his strikeout rate all the way down to 25.6% in 2025, it’s ballooned to 35% in 2026. Therein lies the problem. A 35% strikeout rate in Triple-A is unsustainable for any level of consistent success at the big leagues.

Players can produce with a high strikeout rate. The top four qualified hitters in the big leagues this season — Oneil Cruz, Kyle Schwarber, Hunter Goodman and Munetaka Murakami — have all been productive despite the lofty strikeout rates.

That list is just the qualified hitters, though. When the minimum plate appearance mark is set to 50, the list grows substantially. Cruz drops all the way from first to 12th, and Murakami from fourth to 28th. Of the 24 new players between No. 1 and No. 28, just three have an OPS over .760: Joey Wiemer, Kerry Carpenter and Luke Raley. Even of those three, one of them is misleading. Wiemer’s numbers are inflated by a red-hot first nine games when he OPS’d 1.243 and only struck out 26.5% of the time. In his next 23 games, Wiemer is OPS’d just .687 and struck out 40.8% of the time.

Players can be productive with strikeout rates as high as Clifford’s, but it’s rare. And remember, this is his Triple-A strikeout rate. Pitchers are better in the big leagues.

Let’s dig deeper. Here are his contact rates, the backbone of strikeout rate.

Ryan Clifford‘s Triple-A percentiles in 2025 (left) and 2026 (right). Image courtesy of Thomas Nestico @TJStats on X.

Overall, Clifford’s 2026 numbers look similar to his 2025 Triple-A numbers, but there are a few glaring issues. His chase rate is way up, and his in-zone contact rate is way down. Clifford is still patient — just in the wrong places. He’s swinging at pitches in the zone at a rate under the Triple-A average, but chasing at a rate above the Triple-A average. Previously, he was patient both ways. Now, he’s patient in the zone and aggressive out of the zone, not a good combination.

Then, when he does swing the bat at pitches in the zone, he’s not making contact. His in-zone contact rate is 74.2%, down over 10% from 2025. It cannot be understated how massive of a concern that is. Yes, similar to strikeout rate, there are a rare few who can survive with in-zone contact rates this low, but it’s generally not a recipe for success.

It has also impacted his ability to draw walks, going from one of the best hitters in Triple-A at doing so in 2025 to well below average in 2026. If Clifford is going to stick as a big leaguer, walks have to be a part of his game. Even if he gets the strikeout rate relatively under control, he’s always going to have his fair share of punchies. That has to be countered by a high walk rate.

There have been some improvements throughout the season. In his first 31 games, Clifford posted a .704 OPS with a 39.8% strikeout rate. In his next 28, he had a .832 OPs figure with a 30% strikeout rate. But it’s not enough.

Ryan Clifford’s Triple-A percentiles in his first 31 games of 2026 (left) and next 28 games of 2026 (right). Image courtesy of Thomas Nestico @TJStats on X.

The chase rate is identical, the walk rate is virtually identical, and the in-zone contact is still a big step down from 2025. His surface numbers have improved, but the underlying data tells the story of a hitter who actually hasn’t changed much.

Even if we use his 77.7% in-zone contact rate in his last 28 to measure, it does not suggest he’ll be able to have success at the MLB level. There are 83 hitters in Triple-A with an in-zone contact rate of 77.7% or worse; a handful have spent time in the big leagues, and none of them came close to any form of sustained success this season. Matt Wallner, Nick Yorke, Esmerlyn Valdéz, Patrick Wisdom and Spencer Jones are a few of the big leaguers to run Triple-A contact rates in line with Clifford. None are productive, or frankly, close to it.

This is not a final indictment on Clifford. It’s early June; there is time for Clifford to turn it around. But it is important to note that — even with the surface numbers improving and the recent home runs lighting up your social media feeds — he is a different hitter than he was last year, and not in a good way. If he is going to have an impact at the MLB level in 2026, real change needs to occur. Improving the strikeout rate without truly improving the chase or contact rates isn’t enough.

The 2025 version of Clifford can be a productive big leaguer. He’ll have his flaws, but he can be a true power threat. The 2026 version of Clifford, to this point, cannot.

The post The Intriguing Proposition That Is Ryan Clifford appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

The only inning he found himself in trouble was in the first when he gave up a lead-off walk to Taylor Tramell who later scored on an RBI single by Yordan Alvarez. Outside of the walk and hit, Peralta had a very strong third outing, retiring the next ten hitters he faced in order.

Peralta, encouragingly, averaged 93.2 mph on his fastball, maxing out at 94.1 mph.

Over the course of his last three starts, the Mets’ right-handed pitcher has given up a total of just three earned runs on four hits and has walked two. He has struck out a total of nine through 10 innings this spring.

Peralta spoke with the media after his outing on Saturday and said he felt good. With one more start left in spring training for Peralta, he said his goal is to get to about, “20 more (pitches) than today.” That would put him around 75.

In his first spring with the organization, Peralta said he’s really enjoying being a Met. “Amazing” was the one word he used to describe it. “I can’t wait for during the season and to get some wins,” he added.

As mentioned, Peralta has one more start before the 2026 season officially starts. And for that season opener, the ball will be in Peralta’s hand as manager Carlos Mendoza and the Mets announced a couple weeks ago. Opening day March 26 against the Pittsburgh Pirates.

The post Freddy Peralta Sharp In One-Hit Outing appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

The aforementioned Holmes threw four innings of one-run ball. He allowed three hits, walked one, and struck out for over those four innings of work. Through two spring appearances, Holmes has thrown 7 2/3 innings allowing four hits and three runs to go along with seven strikeouts and three walks.

Behind Holmes, the Mets only allowed two more runs. Notably, top prospect Jack Wenninger struggled mightily with his control. Across two separate appearances in the same game, Wenninger threw 1 2/3 innings allowing two runs due to the five walks he gave up.

Elsewhere, Bryce Conley, Anderson Severino, and Matt Turner combined to string together 3 1/3 innings of scoreless ball.

Offensively, the Mets were relatively quiet. The scoring came in the game’s fourth and seventh innings prior to the walk-off in the ninth. In the fourth, Tyrone Taylor hit a solo homer, his second of spring training. Then, the red-hot Cristian Pache lined a ball to center field with two outs to bring around Christian Arroyo who walked earlier in the inning. In the seventh, Chris Suero hit a ball over the left-field fence. Suero had a .837 OPS in High-A prior to getting a promotion to Double-A in 2025.

To close the scoring in the ninth, Austin Barnes led off the inning with a double to the gap. Jackson Cluff was able to move the runner to third base via a dribbler right at the plate. Following that, Yonatan Henriquez lined a ball over the second baseman into left field with two outs to bring home the game-winning run. Henriquez, 21, spent 2025 between the Single-A and High-A levels posting a respectable .746 OPS to go along with 35 stolen bases.

Player of the Game: Cristian Pache

Cristian Pache continued his strong spring training with a run-scoring hit as well as a walk, reaching base in each of his at-bats. Pache is now 8-for-11 with a 1.182 OPS this spring.

On Deck

The Mets are off on Monday before playing two exhibition games against Nicaragua and Israel, respectively, Tuesday and Wednesday.

Spring training action will resume Thursday, March 5 against the Washington Nationals. The game is set to take place at CACTI Park of the Palm Beaches in West Palm Beach, Florida.

The post Mets Walk It Off Against The Astros In 4-3 Spring Victory appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

New York Mets camp is starting to get a bit lighter, but not because of cuts.

The World Baseball Classic starts this week and participating teams are starting their workouts with exhibition games happening Tuesday and Wednesday. The Mets have about 16 players departing camp including Sunday’s starter, Clay Holmes.

With that many players departing the team for at least the next week or so, the Mets will have a lot more spots for players fighting for roster spots to get more significant playing time.

Mandatory Credit: Jonathan Dyer-Imagn Images

Mets Lineup

1. Marcus Semien – 2B
2. Carson Benge – RF
3. Luis Torrens – C
4. Mike Tauchman – DH
5. Tyrone Taylor – LF
6. Ronny Mauricio – 3B
7. Christian Arroyo – 1B
8. Vidal Bruján – SS
9. Cristian Pache – CF

Starting Pitcher: Clay Holmes

Astros Lineup

1. Jose Altuve – 2B
2. Isaac Parades – DH
3. Zach Cole – LF
4. Yainer Diaz – C
5. Joey Loperfido – RF
6. Jack Winkler – 1B
7. Joseph Sullivan – CF
8. Riley Unroe – 3B
9. Nick Allen – SS

Starting Pitcher: Jason Alexander

Game Notes

MJ Melendez is not in the lineup today as he has already reported to his WBC assignment with Puerto Rico.

Three Things To Watch For

1. Clay Holmes. After Sunday Holmes will head off to join Team USA with Nolan McLean. Ace pitchers Paul Skenes and Tarik Skubal have made public commitments about limiting the amount they are willing to pitch in the WBC. If team USA goes far, this increases the chances for Holmes to get more reps. Potentially, this is a good thing for Holmes. The Mets have to face the Nationals and Marlins a lot in spring training. It’s not a bad thing to get Holmes more reps against major-league quality hitting that are on different teams. Holmes went deep in his first start of spring, pitching 3 2/3 innings allowing two runs off of one hit and two walks while striking out three.
2. Right Field Competition Check In. Carson Benge, Mike Tauchman, Cristian Pache, and Tyrone Taylor are all getting the start today. Benge has gotten off to a very hot start this spring going 4-for-10 with a stolen base and two runs scored. He has only struck out twice. Cristian Pache has been major surprise going 7-for-10 with a double and a home run (.700/.700/1.100). Everyone involved is doing everything they have to do to prove they should be starting right fielder.
3. Jack Wenninger. Wenninger is scheduled to get his second spring training outing Sunday afternoon. He did well in his first game, scattering two hits and two walks over two innings while striking out three. Wenninger is part of the next group of Mets starting pitching prospects behind Nolan McLean and Jonah Tong.

The post Spring Training Game Chat: Astros vs. Mets, 1:10 P.M. appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

On Wednesday, the Mets finished off their seven-game homestand with a bang.

After a Brett Baty two-run homer off of Zack Wheeler, offense was hard to come by as it was knotted at 2-2 going into the eighth. The Mets’ defense continued to keep them in the game, as Juan Soto gunned out Nick Castellanos at the plate in the eighth inning, eventually sending the game into extras. The culmination of the Mets’ perfect homestand would come with a Starling Marte bloop single into center field, scoring Pete Alonso and securing a 4-3 win for New York. For a full game recap, click here!

This win made the Mets 12-1 to start the season at Citi Field, marking their best home record to start a season in team history.

New York has an off day on Thursday as they travel down to D.C. to kick off a four-game set against the Washington Nationals. Kodai Senga, Clay Holmes, Tylor Megill and Griffin Canning are the expected starters for that series. 

Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images

Latest Mets News

Ryne Stanek raved about the Mets pitching development under this new regime, per David Lennon of Newsday. Stanek said New York’s pitching development is is “as good as anywhere I’ve been.”

Carlos Mendoza told reporters that he expects to reinstate Jeff McNeil and Francisco Alvarez from the 10-day IL on Friday. Click here for more on the two Mets’ expected returns.

Mets traded minor leaguer Rowdey Jordan to the Astros, per Mike Mayer of Metsmerized Online. Jordan was an 11th RD pick in 2021. and has a .683 OPS in the minors.

Mets trainers noticed that one of Edwin Díaz’s legs was longer than the other on Tuesday. They fixed the issue, says Díaz: “I was feeling better after”, per SNY. Edwin left Wednesday’s win with what he labeled as a “hip cramp.” Click here for more on Edwin’s injury.

Latest MLB News

The Atlanta Braves selected RHP Jesse Chavez to the major league roster and transferred INF Nacho Alvarez Jr. to the 60-day injured list. 

The Philadelphia Phillies reinstated INF/OF Weston Wilson from the 10-day IL and in return designated INF/OF Kody Clemens for assignment.

The Chicago Cubs signed Nicky Lopez to a one-year major league contract and transferred LHP Justin Steele to the 60-day IL.

Athletics reliever José Leclerc is going to get a second opinion when the A’s are in Texas next week after going down with a lat strain, per Martín Gallegos of MLB.com. He’s shut down for the time being with no timetable for a return.

Dodgers pitcher Blake Snell “didn’t feel great” after playing catch on Tuesday per Dave Roberts. Snell will be shut down from throwing and might go for more imaging, per Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic.

Latest on MMO

Edwin Díaz left Wednesday’s win with a hip cramp.

Jeff McNeil and Francisco Alvarez are expected to return this weekend!

The Mets finish off a perfect homestand!

On This Date in Mets History

2013: Jordany Valdespin hits a walk-off grand slam to give the Mets a 7-3 win over the Dodgers. 

2007: Pinch-hitter Damion Easley ties the Mets at one a piece with the Colorado Rockies in the 10th inning with the club down to their last strike. Endy Chávez would then win the game in the 12t inning with a walk-off drag bunt.

1986: Howard Johnson launches a two-run homer to tie the Mets and Reds in the ninth inning. George Foster then puts the Mets ahead in the 10th with an RBI single. 

1962: Casey Stengel is fined $500 by commissioner Ford Frick for appearing in a Rheingold Beer advertisement while in uniform.

Born on This Date: Tyler Naquin (1991), Carlos Beltrán (1977), Pat Zachry (1952).

The post Morning Briefing: Mets Continued Historic Start at Citi Field appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Kranick managed to navigate all of the ducks on the pond by first getting Alvarez to hit a pop-up in foul territory on the third base side for the second out on a 1-2 count. He then followed that up by getting Christian Walker to ground out to second base in one pitch.

Kranick has overcome a significant amount of adversity to even get to this point, as an 11th-round pick of the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 2016 MLB draft. After being drafted, Kranick climbed the Pirates minor league system, consistently posting an average ERA with almost a strikeout per inning at every level.

Max Kranick. Photo Credit: Reinhold Matay-Imagn Images

During the 2023 season, Kranick, who by this point had 43 2/3 innings of MLB experience with limited success, suffered a torn UCL that would lead to Tommy John surgery and the Pirates releasing him. The Mets decided in the 2024 season that they were willing to take a risk on him, staring him with Single-A with the St. Lucie Mets. He would then make a brief two-game appearance with Double-A Binghamton before he spent the remainder of the season with Triple-A Syracuse, pitching to a 3.57 ERA in 41 games, with four of them being starts.

However, come spring training Kranick went to another level. He was throwing all of his pitches for strikes, drawing weak contact, and striking out over a batter an inning. He allowed two runs over 12 1/3 innings, with nine hits allowed, one walk and 15 strikeouts. His rising fastball consistently posting a vertical break over 18″ and his hard breaking slider were his bread and butter. The Mets showed their faith in him by including him on the Opening Day roster.

In regard to his role on the Mets, the sky is the limit, especially if Saturday was an indication. Kranick has great stuff and solid control and the move to the bullpen may have just unlocked him as a pitcher. The Mets may have just found a solid bullpen arm and all it took was some patience and belief that he would return to pre-injury levels.

The post Max Kranick Impresses In Huge Spot Against Houston appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Unfortunately, things didn’t get off to a great start given the New York Mets’ struggles in Houston. New York dropped the first series of the year to the Astros, losing two out of three.

The offense was a virtual no-show in all three games, cancelling out some encouraging outings on the mound and out of the bullpen.

To that end, let’s dive right into the first 3 Up, 3 Down of the regular season.

Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

3 Up

Step in the Right Direction

Tylor Megill was stellar on the mound as the Mets recorded their first win of the new season on Friday night. The right-handed pitcher allowed just one earned run on three hits with one walk and six strikeouts. He retired the first nine batters he faced, and did a good job of staying aggressive. He finished with a total of 49 strikes on 77 pitches.

Megill also found plenty of success with his slider, generating nine swings and five whiffs with the pitch. Displaying filthy stuff and an ability to attack early, Megill showed what he is capable of. However, as has always been the case, the 29-year-old now needs to parlay his outing on Friday into a consistent stretch of good-to-great starts.

He’s Here

It took until the second game of the series for Mets fans to witness what they’ve been waiting all winter for. In his second game as a Met, Juan Soto blasted his first home run for the team. The first of many to come.

Soto was the team’s best and most reliable hitter in this series. He reached base seven times in three games, including a home run, a double and four walks. He also finished with a run scored and two RBIs. Sure, Soto also struckout in a huge spot on Opening Day with runners on first and third in the ninth. But, you know that the superstar hitter will come through in that kind of situation more often than not. Overall, Soto’s first series as a Met was a productive one.

Long Time Coming

Max Kranick put together a scintillating spring and richly deserved a spot on the Opening Day roster. Then, on Saturday, all his hard work paid off as he made his first MLB appearance since 2022. It was one to remember, too.

Entering the game with the bases loaded, Kranick didn’t hang around in wiping out the danger. He induced a foul out and a groundout on just five pitches to escape the jam without giving up a run. Kranick appears to have a high ceiling, and he could morph into a really nice multi-inning relief weapon for the Mets in 2025.

Photo by Ed Delany of Metsmerized

3 Down

False Start

Clay Holmes earned his first Opening Day start as a Met thanks to a stellar spring. However, as impressive as the dress rehearsal was, the main performance left a lot to be desired, specifically due to major issues with his controls. Holmes struggled against the Astros, walking four and giving up three runs (two earned) in 4 2/3 innings. He also struckout four batters.

However, it is just one game and people seem to forget that the Astros lineup is still loaded with talent and power. Yes, it wasn’t exactly the first start anyone would have wanted to see from Holmes as he makes the transition from closer to full-time starter. But, again, you can’t overreact to anything this time of year. Holmes will have plenty more opportunities to impress.

Zero Production

It certainly was not a good start for what is a potent lineup on paper. The Mets recorded just one hit all game in the loss on Saturday night. They managed just two hits since the third inning of Friday’s game, and just five runs and 12 hits in the three games combined. Furthermore, the lineup went a combined 2-for-21 with runners in scoring position in the series, leaving a total of 18 runners stranded on base.

There was little spark from anyone outside of Soto, with Pete Alonso, Brandon Nimmo and Mark Vientos going a combined 4-for-31 (.129) in the series. Hopefully, it was just a case of growing pains and this lineup will wake up in Miami.

Same Old Story

Here at Mesmerized, we published a story the other day about the importance of Francisco Lindor avoiding his traditional slow start to a season. If the Mets want to be a force in 2025, they need a fast start. And, for that to happen, having their leadoff hitter set the tone and rake from the get-go would be crucial.

Well, the season couldn’t have started much worse for Lindor. The shortstop finished 0-for-11 in Houston, striking out three times. It also seemed that his struggles translated to the rest of the team, aside from Soto.

Luckily, Lindor rakes in Miami. He has slashed .289/.387/.471 with five homers, seven doubles, and 17 RBIs in 31 career games at LoanDepot Park. Hopefully the early season skid ends on Monday.

The post 3 Up, 3 Down: Mets Get 2025 Off To Losing Start In Houston appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

None of those outings looked anything like this one.

Griffin Canning (46) – Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

Coming into the game, Canning owned an ugly 0-3 record and a 6.69 ERA against the reigning American League West champions. Astros fans likely expected more of the same — another rough night for a pitcher they’d torched before. Instead, they ran into a version of Canning they’d never seen.

Canning allowed two runs on four hits across five and 2/3 innings in a 2-1 loss to the Astros. He struck out four while walking two. He made two lone mistakes. And he was handed the loss because the Mets only managed one hit and a handful of base runners.

The Mets took a chance on Canning, a pitcher who had struggled mightily in recent years, and sent him through their renowned “pitching lab.” Whatever they did, it worked, so far at least. The 28-year-old still made a few mistakes, but he dug in and delivered the kind of performance that made New York’s one-year gamble look like a calculated move, not a desperation depth signing.

Still, he wasn’t flawless. In his first start as a member of the Mets, he made one mistake too many, surrendering a fifth-inning home run to Jeremy Peña. And not for nothing, Peña’s first home run of the season, which was also the Astros’ first extra base hit of the season, would have cleared the fence in just five other ballparks.

An inning later, Canning left a slider hanging over the plate, and Yordan Alvarez did what Alvarez does, punishing it without hesitation. Given Alvarez’s career numbers against Canning, you had to figure that was coming at some point.

The Astros’ designated hitter won their third battle against each other, and under different circumstances, you might have questioned Carlos Mendoza’s decision to let Canning face him a third time. But it’s March 29. That’s what Danny Young is there for, but in the third game of the season, Mendoza was willing to let his starter work through it.

Sometimes, you have to tip your cap to a great hitter.

But Canning earned a nod of respect, too.

He wasn’t perfect, but he was tough. He was sharp. And for the first time in his career against Houston, he didn’t look overmatched; he looked like a pitcher the Mets could trust. If this version of Canning is here to stay, that one-year gamble might look like a steal.

The Mets managed just one run in the series finale against the Astros, manufactured by Jose Siri. The toolsy outfielder started the sixth with a walk, then wound up at third after stealing second and moving up on a Francisco Lindor sac fly.

Then, with Juan Soto at the plate, he ran home after Spencer Arrighetti threw to first on a comebacker, beating the throw from Christian Walker.

The post Canning’s Strong Debut Not Enough in Series Finale appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

A day after striking out to end an Opening Day loss, Soto took Astros starter Hunter Brown 390 feet to right for a solo shot that gave the Mets (1-1) a 3-0 lead in the third inning.

“That was pretty impressive, I’m not gonna lie,” manager Carlos Mendoza told the Apple TV+ broadcast booth during the game. “You know, when he’s got the ability to turn a pitch when it’s 96, above the strike zone, up and in. That’s pretty incredible.”

Two games into his 15-year contract, Soto is 2-for-6 with three walks.

Megill (1-0) gave up one run on three hits, fanned six and walked one in five innings.

“I think it starts with him attacking,” Mendoza said in the fourth inning. “Throwing strikes, getting ahead of hitters and then staying on the attack. I like how he’s using all of his pitches. I like how he use the curveball to get ahead for (Jake) Meyers there. He’s got to do that. He’s got to attack and stay on the attack.”

The bullpen was brilliant as well. Reed Garrett relieved Megill with two on and none out in the sixth and escaped unscathed. A.J. Minter threw a scoreless seventh in his Mets debut, Ryne Stanek handled the eighth and Edwin Díaz earned his first save with a 1-2-3 ninth.

New York opened the scoring with a two-run rally in the second that was kick-started by an Astros error. Brown had Brandon Nimmo picked off between first and second – Nimmo took off while Brown was in the stretch – but second baseman Brendan Rodgers dropped Brown’s throw (It goes in the books as a caught stealing for Nimmo and an error on Rodgers).

With Nimmo in scoring position, Mark Vientos doubled him home and Jesse Winker followed with an RBI single.

The TV booth interviewed Lindor in the bottom of the second, and he deftly fielded a grounder and caught a line out between questions.

“I was expecting it because every time you get the mic, the ball comes to you,” Lindor joked.

Stat of the Game

The Mets’ bullpen has thrown 7 1/3 scoreless innings to start the season. Give an assist to second baseman Luisangel Acuña, who made a diving stop in the hole and threw out Yordan Alvarez with a runner on in the eighth.

Player of the Game

Megill, who by his own admission has struggled with consistency throughout his career, is off to a good start. He threw 49 of 77 pitches for strikes and touched 98 mph with his four-seam fastball.

On Deck

Griffin Canning, who had a nice spring training (1.88 ERA, 14 1/3 innings) after leading the American League in earned runs allowed with the Los Angeles Angels last year, will make his Mets debut. Right-hander Spencer Arrighetti, who went 7-13 with a 4.53 ERA and 1.40 WHIP as a rookie in 2024, goes for Houston. Game time is 7:15 p.m. ET, and coverage will air on FOX.

The post Soto Launches First Mets Homer in 3-1 Win Over Astros appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

The Mets look to bounce back after an Opening Day loss yesterday.

Framber Valdez and the Houston Astros were able to keep the Mets off the scoreboard for the first seven innings of the contest. There were opportunities for the Mets in the eighth and ninth innings, but they turned two hits and four walks into just one run. While the perfect season may be out of reach for the Mets, they could still go 161-1 with a win tonight!

Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images

Mets Lineup

1. Francisco Lindor – SS
2. Juan Soto – RF
3. Pete Alonso – 1B
4. Brandon Nimmo – LF
5. Mark Vientos – 3B
6. Jesse Winker – DH
7. Tyrone Taylor – CF
8. Brett Baty – 2B
9. Luis Torrens – C

Tylor Megill is coming off his best season as a Met. Over 16 games in 2024, Megill tossed 78 innings with a 4.04 ERA, 3.55 FIP, 1.308 WHIP and a 98 ERA+. These were all career bests, with the exception of WHIP. Can Megill take another step forward this year?

He faced the Astros at the height of his struggles last season on June 29. At the time, Megill was coming off a start against the Chicago Cubs where he allowed six runs over three innings. Against the Astros, he allowed four runs over 5 1/3 innings on five hits and three walks.

Houston has the following stats against him:

• Jose Altuve 0-3, 2 BB, K
• Yordan Alvarez 1-2, BB, K
• Victor Caratini 0-1
• Yainer Diaz 0-5, 2 K
• Mauricio Dubón 2-4, 2B
• Chas McCormick 0-0, BB
• Jake Meyers 1-2, HR, K
• Isaac Paredes 0-2
• Jeremy Peña 1-3, 2B, BB, K
• Christian Walker 1-3, HR, 2 K

Opposing Lineup

Friday night baseball, y’all

⚾️: 7:10 PM
🏟️: Closed
📺: @AppleTV
🎙️: @SportsTalk790 #BuiltForThis x @reliantenergy pic.twitter.com/vZBzfMG1Qt

— Houston Astros (@astros) March 28, 2025

Hunter Brown pitched in 31 games in both 2023 and 2024. In the former season, Brown had a 5.09 ERA, 1.362 WHIP, 4.37 FIP and an 83 ERA+ over 155 2/3 innings. Last year, he had a 3.49 ERA, 3.58 FIP, 1.271 WHIP and a 113 ERA+ across 170 innings.

Brown became the player in 2024 that the Astros ultimately thought he would be. The last time the Mets faced him was in 2023, where he allowed six runs on seven hits and two walks over 5 2/3 innings.

New York owns the following career numbers against Brown:

• Pete Alonso 0-3, K
• Brett Baty 1-3, K
• Francisco Lindor 1-3, HR, K
• Starling Marte 1-3
• Brandon Nimmo 0-3, 2 K
• Jose Siri 0-4, BB, 3 K
• Juan Soto 2-5, 2B, K
• Jesse Winker 1-2

Game Notes

• Manager Carlos Mendoza told reporters that Taylor is playing over Siri for a second-straight game because he matches up better against Brown, and that the latter has a “good chance” of making his regular season debut for the Mets on Saturday.
• Baty will make the first start of his big league career at second base tonight. The 25-year-old, who saw regular time at the position in the minor leagues last season as well as in spring training, concluded Grapefruit League play with a .353/.441/.745 slash line.

Three Things To Watch For

1. Megill’s pitch selection. For Megill to finally have a breakout year, he’s going to need to make the best of his pitch selection. Last season, he was in the 67th percentile for chase rate, 74th for whiff rate and 79th for strikeout percentage. This is because, according to Baseball Savant and Statcast, he tossed eight different pitches. Notably, Megill added in a cutter that he used 14.2% of the time. Let’s see how much of his arsenal is used tonight!
2. Hitting with Runners in Scoring Position. The Mets went 0-for-6 yesterday with runners in scoring position and left 10 batters on base. The Astros were not much better, going 1-for-8 with RISP and left nine batters on base. For the Astros, they could have put the game out of reach early with a big hit, as they got Clay Holmes into trouble multiple times. The Mets ended up losing by only two runs, but if they came through with a big hit themselves in the eighth or ninth, we would be talking about them potentially taking the series today.
3. Vientos. Soto worked two walks yesterday, a stat he’s led the league in three of the last four seasons, and Alonso also walked twice. If Thursday was any indication, Vientos is going to get some major RBI opportunities this season. In 2024, he was fourth on the team in that category with 71 despite playing only 111 games.

Let’s go Mets!

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