Outside of a 449-foot home run from Juan Soto that came off the bat at 107.7 mph, the Mets’ offense was absent from this game. Until the eighth inning when A.J. Ewing got on base with a single, the Mets only had one base runner next to Soto’s homer. Unfortunately, that was quickly erased when Ewing was caught stealing. Carson Benge had two hard-hit balls that were caught on great defensive plays, though he did work a walk in the ninth inning. Outside of that, the lineup struggled to make contact against the Marlins’ pitchers.

Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Jared Young played a full game in Syracuse today, splitting time between left field and first base, so hopefully he will be joining the major league club soon to help this struggling offense.

While the Mets’ bats struggled, the pitching looked strong across eight innings, allowing only two runs.

Tobias Myers ended up serving as an opener, throwing 20 pitches across 1 1/3 innings. He gave up one hit and one walk, and the runner he left on base scored on a weak ground ball after Sean Manaea came into the game. Myers looked good in his outing, and his splitter was especially strong.

Manaea looked arguably the best he has all year, going 3 2/3 innings with three strikeouts and one earned run. His velocity was up again, averaging 91.7 mph on his fastball and throwing as hard as 93.9 mph. He pounded the zone with his sinker, getting a 25% whiff rate while he utilized his sweeper out of the zone with a 33.3% chase rate.

Jonah Tong made his season debut and threw three scoreless innings. Tong threw his hardest pitch of the season at 98.5 mph in his first inning of work as part of a one-two-three frame. He did not throw his cutter or slider until his final batter, Otto Lopez, but both looked the best they have throughout his big-league career. Overall, he ran an incredible 37.5% whiff rate and 38.9% chase rate.

UP NEXT

The Mets will face the Marlins’ 27-year-old breakout starter Max Meyer. Meyer has a 2.85 ERA and 1.12 WHIP across his first 10 starts with 60 strikeouts. He has struggled with injuries, including hip surgery last June, which ended his 2025 season. So far, he looks like the pitcher who consistently was ranked as a top-50 prospect across multiple lists.

On the mound for the Mets will be Freddy Peralta. He has a 3.31 ERA and 1.25 WHIP across 10 starts with 54 strikeouts.

The game will start at 4:10 PM and be broadcast on SNY.

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Today, the Mets finally play an NL East opponent other than the Nationals for the first time this season. The club has had an odd schedule to start the year. They didn’t play the Nationals until the end of April. Each of their road trips before this one were out to the west coast. They still haven’t played the Braves and Phillies.

After going 5-1 at home last week, the Mets have had a slightly disappointing start to the road trip, splitting a four game series with the Nationals. A good weekend in Miami, though, can still make this road trip a positive one!

Photo Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Mets Lineup

1. Carson Benge – RF
2. Bo Bichette – SS
3. Juan Soto – DH
4. Mark Vientos – 1B
5. Brett Baty – 3B
6. Marcus Semien – 2B
7. A.J. Ewing – CF
8. Nick Morabito – LF
9. Luis Torrens – C

Starting Pitcher: Tobias Myers

Myers gets the start tonight. The Mets are in the midst of a 16-day stretch with no days off, and the hope is working Myers in today will give the starters a little extra rest. Over 29 innings this season, Myers has a 3.41 ERA, 4.38 FIP, 1.034 WHIP and a 116 ERA+. He has thrown three innings in two outings this year and has gone at least two innings in nine outings. The most pitches he has tossed in a game is 40. Ideally, the Mets would love to get three innings out of him tonight.

The Marlins have the following career stats against him:

• Owen Caissie 0-1,K
• Xavier Edwards 1-1, HR, BB
• Otto Lopez 0-3, K
• Christopher Morel 2-4, HR, BB, 2 K
• Kyle Stowers 0-1

Opposing Lineup

1. Xavier Edwards – 2B
2. Liam Hicks – 1B
3. Connor Norby – 3B
4. Kyle Stowers – DH
5. Jakob Marsee – CF
6. Esteury Ruiz – LF
7. Owen Caissie – RF
8. Joe Mack – C
9. Javier Sanoja – SS

Eury Pérez has made 10 starts totaling 52 1/3 innings this season with a 5.33 ERA, 5.20 FIP, 1.414 WHIP and a 77 ERA+. Pérez opened the season holding the Rockies to only three runs over seven innings. Since then, he’s had one great start, holding the Brewers to one unearned run over six frames on April 19, and every other start has been average to bad. In his last three games, Pérez has allowed 13 earned runs over 16 innings on 12 hits and 12 walks while striking out 19 batters (7.31 ERA, 6.60 FIP).

The Mets have the following career stats against him:

• Brett Baty 0-2, K
• Bo Bichette 3-5, 2B
• Juan Soto 1-4, HR, K
• Tyrone Taylor 1-4, 2B, 2 K
• Mark Vientos 1-1, HR, BB

Game Notes

• As noted by the New York Post’s Mike Puma, right-handed pitcher Jonah Tong is available out of the bullpen today and could follow Myers as the bulk reliever after being recalled from Triple-A Syracuse.
• 2025 marked the first time the Mets lost the season series to the Marlins since 2017.

Three Things To Watch For

1. Strikeouts. The Mets had 12 strikeouts as a team yesterday with Benge, Bichette, Semien, Vientos and Ewing each recording two. In Pérez’s two good starts this year, he had a total of 15 strikeouts over 13 innings. In his last three starts, he recorded 19 K’s over 16 innings. Don’t give Pérez any momentum tonight! Work walks, don’t chase!
2. Sean Manaea. Manaea could see significant work today. Over 10 games (27 1/3 innings), Manaea has a 6.26 ERA, 4.27 FIP, 1.683 WHIP and a 64 ERA+. He gritted out four innings his last time out against the New York Yankees, allowing three runs (two earned) off of four hits and two walks. Manaea was hitting 91-93 on his fastball throughout his last outing, something we haven’t seen a ton of this year. Things still don’t look great for Manaea (5.23 xERA, .277 xBA), but maybe this is a harbinger of good things to come.
3. Jonah Tong. Sean Manaea may not even get a chance to pitch tonight if Jonah Tong is second arm on the mound. The Mets recalled him from Syracuse today, DFA’ing Craig Kimbrel in the process. He’s pitched 38 innings over nine starts this season with a 5.68 ERA and 1.368 WHIP. He’s getting hit hard a lot (1.9 HR/9, but he’s also striking out the world with 55 so far (13 K/9). His last start on May 14 was rough, giving up seven runs (six earned) over 1 2/3 innings. Before that, he had a two-start stretch where he allowed three runs over 11 innings while striking out 14.

Let’s go Mets!

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The Mets will look to improve in that aspect against the Miami Marlins (22-29), who have lost seven of their last 10. Miami gave New York fits last season, winning the season series 7-6.

Let’s take a look at some notes ahead of the three pitching matchups this weekend.

John Jones-Imagn Images

PITCHING MATCHUPS

• Friday: Tobias Myers (0-1, 3.41 ERA) vs. Eury Pérez (2-6, 5.33 ERA): During this recent stretch in which a few of the Mets’ starters have struggled, some fans were calling for Myers to get his chance in the rotation. He will get his second start of the season, but how much length will he be able to provide? Myers threw 25 pitches in Monday’s win over the Nationals, and he hasn’t thrown more than 40 pitches in a game this year. Expect him to provide two, maybe three innings on Friday. Availability and consistency have alluded Pérez in his young career. After a bad second half in 2025, the hope was that he would take a step forward this season. That has yet to occur. Pérez has allowed five runs in two of his last three starts, giving up four home runs over that stretch and a total of 10 in 52 1/3 innings.
• Saturday: Freddy Peralta (3-3, 3.31 ERA) vs. Max Meyer (4-0, 2.85 ERA): Peralta was initially supposed to pitch Friday, but his start was pushed back a day. He has been better in the month of May, pitching to a 2.81 ERA over three starts. The only thing that continues to trip Peralta up is a lack of length. He has thrown six innings in just three of his 10 starts this season. That needs to happen more often, especially from the ace of the staff. Meyer had a promising start to last season before undergoing season-ending hip surgery in June. He has pitched at a similar level to the one he showed in March and April of 2025. Meyer has allowed two earned runs or less in five of his last six starts.
• Sunday: Christian Scott (0-0, 4.12 ERA) vs. TBD: Scott threw 1 1/3 innings in his season debut against the Minnesota Twins on April 23. Since then, he has pitched to a 3.93 ERA over four starts. He has shown flashes, but not enough consistency. Scott has failed to throw five innings in three consecutive starts, despite reaching 80+ pitches in each of those outings. Definitely an area of improvement for him. The Marlins have yet to announce a starter for the series finale. Braxton Garrett would have been a candidate, but he was optioned to Triple-A Jacksonville after his last start. Prospect Thomas White was rumored to be in consideration for a call-up, but he was placed on the injured list earlier this week.

WHAT’S THE STORY?

For the first time this season, Jonah Tong is with the big-league ball club. His start to the season with Triple-A Syracuse has been a bit misleading. 12 of the 24 earned runs he has given up have come in two starts. Besides that, his numbers have been solid. It has been reported that he has been working on a few new pitches. How much of an impact will those have against big league hitters? Will Tong make a start during this busy stretch and return to Triple-A shortly afterwards? There’s plenty of storylines surrounding his promotion. But with so many questions surrounding the backend of the rotation, Tong establishing himself would be a major lift.

PREDICTION

The Mets have won four of their six series since the start of May. They have plenty of work to do, but it appears they are moving in the right direction. The Mets will finish off the road trip in the right way, taking two of three against a struggling Marlins team.

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Tong is coming off his worst appearance of his season on May 14, where he did not make it out of the second inning. This means he will be pitching on seven days rest. Before that blowup outing, he had a four-game stretch where he threw 21 innings to a 2.57 ERA and 1.10 WHIP with a 33.7% strikeout rate.

Tong has been incredibly uneven this season with a 5.68 ERA and 1.37 WHIP. He has had three starts where he gave up sixteen runs in eight innings for an 18.00 ERA and 2.88 WHIP. His other six starts for Syracuse, he gave up only eight runs in thirty innings for a 2.40 ERA and 0.97 WHIP. His two worst starts came against the same team, the Somerset Patriots. Tong’s biggest struggles have come from his 1.89 HR/9 rate. Per Baseball America, Syracuse was one of the more home run-friendly ballparks in MiLB in 2025, and it is possible that is the same this year.

Brad Penner-Imagn Images

Tong has struggled with command at times while working on developing a pitch with horizontal break. He has been incredibly inconsistent with the break on his cutter and it seems he may have been displaying a new slider recently.

There have been some positives with Tong, who is still only 22-years-old. His fastball in Triple-A ran a 28.7% whiff rate and 29.6% chase rate. When he commands it, that pitch can dominate. When he leaves it over the heart of the zone, though, it gets crushed. Similarly, his changeup has generated significant swing and miss with a 40.3% whiff and is a strong pairing with the fastball when he can locate it. He is throwing his curveball a lot harder than in 2025 and with more spin, though with less vertical movement and more horizontal movement. It is by no means a plus or even necessarily average pitch, but the results have been better so far when he locates it.

Kimbrel, meanwhile, pitched 15 innings to a 6.00 ERA and 1.47 WHIP for the Mets. He flashed plus-stuff metrics in his time with the club, but his inability to locate his pitches hurt him too much to be effective. His biggest contribution may have come from his last appearance on Wednesday, where he saved the bullpen by throwing 2.2 innings, which kept everyone fresh for the Mets’ win in the final game of the Nationals series.

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After exploding offensively in the opener, the Mets dropped back-to-back clunkers in Washington. However, the team was able to claw out a win in the finale to avoid dropping the series.

As has often been the case recently, there was a mixture of positives and negatives from the four games against the Nats. Let’s recap all of them in the latest edition of 3 Up, 3 Down…

Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-Imagn Images

3 UP

THE BO SHOW

Is this the version of Bo Bichette we’ve all been waiting for? The former Toronto Blue Jay has endured a slow start to life as a Met. However, we saw signs of the slump breaking during the series in Washington. Bichette went a combined 7-for-18 with three homers, five runs scored, and nine RBIs in the four games. Furthermore, Bichette came up with the clutch two-run single to help earn a series split in the finale. All in all, hopefully this is just the start for Bichette.

BENGE THE GREAT 

No matter what happens this year, the future looks bright for the Mets. And Carson Benge is right at the heart of that. The rookie has been unstoppable since finding his feet, and he remained red-hot against the Nationals. Benge had at least one hit in all four games, including three hits in each of the first two games of the series. He was instrumental in the series opener, finishing with three RBIs out of the leadoff spot. Having now hit safely in 10 of his last 11 games, Benge is quickly becoming a reliable presence in that lineup.

GETTING IT DONE

In the two games the Mets won in this series, the pitching really came through. David Peterson was solid in his return to the rotation, giving up just one run across five innings in the finale. In the same game, the bullpen was money, not allowing a single run to score. In particular, Devin Williams stayed hot by working out of a jam to secure the win. On Monday, Huascar Brazobán did a lot of heavy lifting to set his team up for success in the 12th inning. And, despite allowing three runs in the first inning on Wednesday, Zach Thornton showed a lot in his MLB debut by grinding out the rest of his outing.

Rafael Suanes-Imagn Images

3 DOWN

HIT AROUND

Nolan McLean did not have a great night on Tuesday. Sure, he wasn’t helped by his defense. But, still, McLean laid an egg on the mound. He gave up nine runs – six earned – on eight hits, including a pair of homers. Even on a night the offense put up six runs, that just wasn’t enough to erase the damage done by McLean. Look, even the best pitchers commit clunkers here and there, but the Mets will be hoping that McLean can put this one behind him as soon as possible.

PUNISHING THEMSELVES

If we know one thing about the 2026 Mets, it’s that they don’t make life easy for themselves. Just go check out Tuesday’s game. The defense committed two errors, including Tyrone Taylor losing track of the ball out in center field. The end result? James Wood recorded a rare inside-the-park grand slam, and a 5-0 Mets lead quickly morphed into a one-run ballgame. The entire tenor of the game changed at that point, and the Mets were unable to stop the slide.

HOT AND COLD

It probably isn’t a stretch to suggest that you don’t know what version of the Mets you will see on any given night. One night they look unstoppable, the next they look below average. We saw both of those versions in Washington. The Mets exploded offensively in the opener, but then struggled to come up with the big hit over the next two games. And the lineup had the pitching to thank in the finale given that they were only able to squeeze across two runs. The pitching was also hit and miss in this series, as was the defense. If the Mets are to get the season back on track, they are going to need to develop consistency in every single key area.

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Then things completely changed. In the month of May, Williams and Weaver have combined for 17 scoreless innings. They are running extremely high strikeout rates with acceptable walk rates. They have also combined for five saves and four holds.

So, what changed?

Photo Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

Devin Williams

For Williams, the change came when he sat down with the Mets’ coaching staff on April 23 and analyzed everything he had done so far this season. Per Will Sammon of The Athletic, Williams changed his delivery with the New York Yankees to try to prevent tipping, but that change impacted his mechanics negatively. He adjusted his set-up to closer mirror what he did as a Milwaukee Brewer when he threw 235 2/3 innings to a 1.83 ERA and 1.02 WHIP.

Outside of just the ERA change, everything under the hood looks better too. First, Williams’ air-bender is back to bending air. His induced vertical break went from 0.1 to -1.3 inches. Part of that number is also skewed by the effects Coors Field has on changeups – his most recent two appearances, he has averaged -2.5 inches. That is in line with where he was in Milwaukee. He has also increased his spin rate on the pitch from 2504 rotations per minute to 2638. This has led his whiff rate on that pitch to jump from 35.7% to 51.4%. His improved changeup also makes his four-seam fastball play up. Since that previously mentioned meeting, he is running a 40.7% whiff rate compared to where it sat at 34.2% before.

Overall, Williams looks like a new pitcher. His Statcast percentiles since his turnaround are off the charts:

• 24.6% swinging strike rate (100th percentile)
• 0% barrel rate (100th percentile)
• 46% whiff rate (99th percentile)
• 66.7% zone-contact rate (99th percentile)
• 38.7% strikeout rate (98th percentile)
• 42.9% chase rate (97th percentile)
• 17.6% hard-hit rate (97th percentile)
• 52.9% ground ball rate (85th percentile)
• 86.5 miles per hour average exit velocity (76th percentile)
• 6.5% walk rate (78th percentile)

Luke Weaver

As far as I am aware, Weaver did not have a meeting that turned his season around after his blown save on April 30. What did change, though, was his cutter consistency. In April, his cutter bled into his four-seam fastball too much, mirroring its movement profile too closely. His cutter in May is diving more than it was in April, jumping from a 14.3% whiff rate to a 54.5% whiff rate. He is throwing his four-seam fastball in the zone as more of a contact suppression pitch, and is also using it to set up his changeup, which in May has a 58.3% chase rate and 35.1% whiff rate. Weaver is also tunneling his pitches better, getting more separation at the plate between his cutter and his other two pitches.

While not as elite as Williams, Weaver’s Statcast percentiles in May are still incredibly strong:

• 0% barrel rate (100th percentile)
• 15.8% hard-hit rate (98th percentile)
• 36.8% strikeout rate (97th percentile)
• 85.3 miles per hour exit velocity (87th percentile)
• 52.6% ground ball rate (85th percentile)
• 14.7% swinging strike rate (83rd percentile)
• 31.9% chase rate (66th percentile)
• 82.3% zone-contact rate (64th percentile)
• 27.1% whiff rate (63rd percentile)

Conclusion

This does not look like just a lucky stretch for these two pitchers. They have both made legitimate adjustments that have led to their success the last few weeks. Williams has a long track record as one of the best closers in the game, and he looks to be back on form. Weaver’s cutter looks to be in a stronger place, and it helps his arsenal as a whole play up. Time will tell if they are able to maintain these improvements under the hood, and they both will likely give up some runs at some point, but right now the future for their Mets tenures looks bright.

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Triple-A 

Syracuse Mets (26-21) 12, Buffalo Bisons (23-25) 8

Box Score

• 1B Ryan Clifford, 1-for-4, BB, 3 RBI (.728 OPS)
• DH Eric Wagaman, 2-for-3, HR (2), 2 BB (.692 OPS)

Every player in Syracuse’s lineup finished with a hit as the club won its third-straight game over Buffalo to start the series.

• RHP Xzavion Curry (4.80 ERA) 5 IP, 6 H, 4 ER, 3 BB, 2 K
• RHP Dylan Ross (4.32 ERA) 2/3 IP, H, 2 ER, 3 BB, K

Four of Syracuse’s six pitchers were credited with earned runs on Thursday night, with the only exceptions being Danis Correa (2 IP) and Nate Lavender (1/3 IP).

Jacob Reimer. Photo by Rick Nelson

Double-A

Binghamton Rumble Ponies (15-27) 9, Richmond Flying Squirrels (29-12) 2

Box Score

• RF Eli Serrano, 1-for-4, 2B, 3 RBI (.703 OPS)
• SS Marco Vargas, 2-for-4, RBI, BB (.663 OPS)
• 3B Jacob Reimer, 1-for-4, RBI, BB (.767 OPS)

Binghamton has scored nine or more runs in three of their last four contests. Reimer’s slash line in May is now up to .273/.379/.545.

• RHP R.J. Gordon (12.15 ERA) 3 1/3 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 4 K

Gordon turned in his second scoreless outing of the season and also completed three innings for the first time this year.

High-A

Hudson Valley Renegades (20-21) 7, Brooklyn Cyclones (11-30) 3, 7 Innings

Game 1 Box Score

• RF John Bay, 1-for-3, 2B, 2K (.747 OPS)
• C Daiverson Gutierrez, 1-for-3, HR (2) (.559 OPS)

Brooklyn struck out 16 times in the first game of its doubleheader against Hudson Valley.

• RHP Noah Hall (6.46 ERA) 5 IP, 9 H, 7 ER, 3 BB

High-A

Hudson Valley Renegades (21-21) 7, Brooklyn Cyclones (11-31) 0, 7 Innings

Game 2 Box Score

• CF John Bay, 1-for-3 (.744 OPS)
• 2B Yonatan Henriquez, 1-for-3, 2 K (.396 OPS)

Bay and Henriquez had Brooklyn’s only two hits in the second game of the doubleheader as the team was shut out.

• RHP Hoss Brewer (4.76 ERA) 2 IP, 2 H, 2 ER, BB, 3 K
• RHP Cristofer Gomez (3.06 ERA) 2 IP, 2 K

Single-A

Palm Beach Cardinals (24-18) 18, St. Lucie Mets (17-25) 6

Box Score

• RF Randy Guzman, 2-for-4, 2B, RBI, BB (.848 OPS)
• DH Yohairo Cuevas, 3-for-3, 2 RBI, BB, 2B, 3B (1.458 OPS)

Cuevas remains hot following his demotion from Brooklyn, and Guzman has recorded a hit in five-straight games.

• RHP Cam Tilly (6.19 ERA) 3 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 3 BB, 3 K

Despite striking out 12 batters, St. Lucie’s pitching staff issued 15 walks en route to allowing 18 runs (15 earned).

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When the Mets signed Bichette this offseason to a three-year, $126 million contract, he was coming off a season in which he hit .311/.357/.483, with a .840 OPS. He hit 44 doubles, one triple, crushed 18 home runs, walked 40 times, and drove in 94 RBIs with 582 runs scored with the Blue Jays. He ranked second in the American League in hits (181) and batting average (.311). He was also 13th in the American League in SLG (.483).

It was a player the Mets and their fans were excited to acquire and there were high hopes about him being a key component for the Mets offensively after the Mets missed out on making the postseason in 2025; however, Bichette’s performance prior to this week had not been what anyone was expecting, Bichette himself included.

Brad Mills-Imagn Images

After a rough spring, people chalked up Bichette’s struggles to getting used to a new team, new coaching, and new city, but Bichette was the first to own up and say he needed to do better at the plate.

His struggles continued into April. On April 3, his average was as low as .194. He brought it up some, but still not where anyone thought it would be by the end of the month. Through the first 34 games he played in, he hit just .224/.277/.332, with a .609 OPS. He was 29-for-129, with just three home runs, 18 RBIs, and 15 runs scored.

Prior to this week, those struggles persisted this month until Monday, when he went 3-for-6 and drove in three. In that game, he snapped a streak of 71 at-bats without an extra-base hit, not something he’s used to at all.

He stayed hot on Tuesday. He was 2-for-4 with two home runs, four RBIs (four of the Mets’ five on the day), and two runs scored, giving him three home runs in two days.

Bichette spoke with SNY following his second strong night at the plate.

“You’re always trying to get better, whether you’re doing good or bad,” said Bichette. “There are adjustments every day, but for me, just trying to be the same person every day and work hard and grind, it’s a long season,” he said.

Time will tell if this week’s performance was Bichette really turning a corner, but he has been locked in in the last couple of days. After admitting he needed to “reset,” it appears he may have finally hit that button.

The post Bichette Finally Showing Power appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

On the mound, it was the righty Nolan McLean (2-2, 3.57 ERA) for the Mets against lefty Foster Griffin (4-2, 4.02 ERA) for the Nationals.

Rafael Suanes-Imagn Images

It was a lopsided roller coaster of emotions for the Mets.

A night after a three-hit performance on Monday and telling The Athletic, “Just wanting to be the player the Mets signed is something that I think about a lot,” Bo Bichette remained locked in at the plate on Tuesday. He hit two-run home runs in both the first and second innings to finally contribute offensively like he’s wanted to. He went on to have a 2-for-4 night with four RBIs and two runs scored, driving in four of the Mets’ six runs on the day.

However, the Mets fell 9-6 to the Nationals.

After Carson Benge led off the inning in the first with a single, Bichette drove him in to give the Mets a 2-0 lead. He was followed by a single from Juan Soto, double by Mark Vientos and sac fly from Marcus Semien that extended the Mets’ lead to 3-0 over Washington.

Bichette’s hot streak continued in the second, the same way it did in the first. Benge hit a two-out single that was followed by a second two-run home run by Bichette that gave the Mets a 5-0 lead.

Brad Mills-Imagn Images

But that emotional roller coaster I mentioned? While Bichette is finally coming to life, his positive performance was overshadowed by what was McLean’s worst outing of his career. He gave up nine runs (six earned, three unearned runs on errors) on eight hits, including two home runs, walked two and struck out five.

McLean could not find his command, and the Nationals had his number on Tuesday. He gave up four runs in the second, three in the third, and two in the fourth to give the Nationals a 9-6 lead through five.

The four runs McLean gave up in the second were courtesy of an inside-the-park grand slam on a fly ball to center field by James Wood. That was the first blow for McLean and the Mets.

The blows continued in the fourth as the Mets handed the Nationals more runs. They had a chance to get out of the inning with less damage done, but errors by Marcus Semien and Luis Torrens kept the inning alive, allowing the Nationals to take their large lead.

It looked like McLean might finally have been settling in in the fifth, retiring the Nationals in order and then striking out two in the sixth. But with two outs, he hit CJ Abrams and after 100 pitches, Carlos Mendoza had seen enough. He went to his bullpen, bringing in Daniel Duarte to make his Mets debut.

The Mets gained a run back in the top of the seventh. Soto hit his seventh home run of the year to make it a 9-6 game.

Duarte had a strong performance on the mound in his Mets debut. He pitched 2 1/3 shutout innings, giving up just one hit and striking out one.

After Soto’s home run, the Mets were unable to produce again as the Nationals went on to take game two 9-6, handing the Mets their first loss in a game in which they led by five or more innings.

Players of the Game

Though the Mets came away with the loss, Bichette and Benge were the co-players of the game. Benge was 3-for-5 on the day with two runs scored, and Bichette was 2-for-4 with four RBIs and two runs scored on two home runs.

On Deck

The Mets and Nationals continue their four-game series on Wednesday. Zack Thornton will make his MLB debut for the Mets. They will take on right-handed pitcher Zack Littell (2-4, 6.10 ERA).

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The Mets’ pitching was a mixed bag, as both Freddy Peralta and Sean Manaea displayed moments of brilliance alongside some struggles. Peralta had a decent outing, going five innings and giving up two hits, but he allowed three runs, striking out four while walking six. He struggled with his command for most of the afternoon. The two earned runs were charged to Peralta after he left two runners on base, who then scored when Manaea took over.

Manaea started rocky but found some rhythm toward the end. He pitched four innings of relief on 57 pitches, allowing four hits, three runs (two earned), while walking two and striking out three. He relieved Peralta in the sixth inning and was instrumental in the Yankees’ four-run sixth, walking two and giving up a bases-loaded hit to Anthony Volpe, followed by a sacrifice fly from Amed Rosario. Manaea also hit Paul Goldschmidt on the foot to load the bases before Volpe’s hit.

In the top of the 10th, the Yankees threatened with the free runner, Ryan McMahon, stealing third and Anthony Volpe getting a walk. Devin Williams came through clutch, striking out Max Schuemann and forcing Austin Wells to ground out into an inning-ending double play after a solid snag by Mark Vientos at first base. Williams, who got the win, continued to show his strong comeback with a series of solid appearances on the mound.

The Mets’ defense had its lapses, while the Yankees were impressive. Trent Grisham, Spencer Jones, and Schuemann all made solid catches in the outfield for the Yankees. In contrast, Tyrone Taylor overthrew a cutoff man in the sixth inning and failed to support Bo Bichette as he backpedaled for a ball in shallow left, allowing a run to score.

Tyrone Taylor. (Photo credits: USA Today)

The Mets’ offense came through when it mattered, especially from Luis Torrens and Tyrone Taylor. After the Yankees took the lead, Luis Torrens drove in two runs with a double in the bottom of the sixth, keeping the game close. Following another Yankees run, the Mets rallied in the bottom of the ninth, putting two runners on base. Tyrone Taylor then knocked a hanging breaking pitch near the foul pole in left field, tying the game at six.

In the bottom of the 10th, the Mets advanced the free runner to third base following A.J. Ewing‘s first professional sacrifice bunt. Luis Torrens was hit by a pitch from Yankees reliever Tim Hill during this inning. The Yankees attempted a five-man infield, with Max Schuemann serving as the fifth infielder. He ended up colliding with his own teammate, allowing Carson Benge to slap a ball up the middle. The contact impeded Jazz Chisholm Jr.‘s ability to field the ball cleanly, allowing Marcus Semien to score easily.

Marcus Semien had a strong performance, collecting two hits alongside Mark Vientos. Bo Bichette snapped an 0-for-15 streak, with every player in the lineup recording a hit except MJ Melendez and Hayden Senger. This victory, where the team overcame a deficit of more than four runs after eight innings, ended a drought in which they lost their last 91 games when trailing after eight innings.

Player of the Game: Tyrone Taylor

Tyrone Taylor wasn’t his normal elite defensive self, but he had the biggest hit of the game Sunday. After stunning the ball in his first two at-bats, which came after he replaced MJ Melendez, Taylor launched the game-tying three-run homer.

On Deck

The Mets are right back at it as they head to Washington, D.C. to take on the Nationals Monday. Christian Scott (0-0, 3.45 ERA) will toe the slab for the Mets while Jake Irvin (1-4, 5.91 ERA) rivals him for the Nationals. First pitch will take place at 6:45 pm ET and will be broadcast on SNY and Mets Radio 880.

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