The Mets swept the Nationals this week before being swept by the Rays over the weekend—the first time the Mets have been swept all year. Though the putrid Rays series was mostly characterized by poor pitching and poor defense, the offense’s problem with runners in scoring position also reared its ugly head again.
The Mets’ week started off great though, as Jeff McNeil walked off the Nationals in the tenth inning on Tuesday. Though his overall numbers aren’t quite the fireball pace from last week, McNeil is still swinging the bat really well right now, with a 155 wRC+ in 24 plate appearances this week. His six hits are the second most on the team and he shares the team lead with two other players in RBIs (5). His only extra base hit this week was a three-run homer that was key to Thursday’s win that secured the sweep.
Juan Soto also had six hits and five RBIs this week, but the difference is that he went deep twice and led the team with five walks, so he earns his second fireball in a row with a 202 wRC+ in 26 plate appearances this week. Soto was a menace to his former team, hitting two home runs against them in the series. Soto is finally getting into a groove now at the plate, which is great news for the Mets.
The Mets’ hottest hitter this week though is Brandon Nimmo whose 229 wRC+ in 26 plate appearances leads the team. He also leads the team with nine hits. Three of those nine hits went for extra bases and they were all home runs. Nimmo scored six runs—also to lead the team—and along with Soto and McNeil shares the team lead in RBIs with five. Because the Mets’ pitching utterly imploded in the Rays series, Nimmo’s 3-for-4 performance on Saturday will likely get overlooked, but he is absolutely raking right now. He went deep twice in Wednesday’s shutout victory and the next day went deep again, providing what turned out to be a key insurance run with a solo shot. Nimmo also stole two bases this week—the only Met to swipe more than one bag.
Starling Marte would have been the hero of Friday night’s game if not for the Rays’ comeback. He went 3-for-4 with three RBIs, which represented all of his run production for the week. But he did collect five hits and two walks in 17 plate appearances overall—good for a 138 wRC+ for the week.
Francisco Lindor had a rather unremarkable week, posting a 98 wRC+ in 26 plate appearances. He hit just .227, racking up three singles and two doubles, but he also walked four times, second only to Soto for the team lead. He also matches Soto with five runs scored.
Pete Alonso cooled off from his torrid pace from last week as well, notching just two singles and two doubles in 25 plate appearances. He also walked twice and was hit by two pitches, putting up an 84 wRC+ for the week. Alonso scored a run and drove in two runs this week. Obviously that is not the RBI pace we are used to seeing from Alonso, who still leads baseball in that category.
But what we really need to talk about is the bottom of the order, who are pretty much all struggling at once and resulting in at least three automatic outs at the bottom of the lineup every night—not a sustainable situation for the Mets. Brett Baty is in the red for the second week in a row, managing just two hits and two walks in 18 plate appearances—good for a 54 wRC+ for the week. Baty hit a home run in Saturday’s loss, which is responsible for the entirety of his run production this week.
Tyrone Taylor also is in the red for the second straight week with a 38 wRC+ in 13 plate appearances. Like Baty, he had just two hits this week—a single and a double. He drove in a run and also walked once.
Ronny Mauricio is clearly struggling at the big league level. He is fun to watch when he runs into one; he hit a home run in Saturday’s game. But it feels like he is guessing up there and that it’s just luck when he makes contact. Even though he had just 17 plate appearances this week, he leads the team in strikeouts with six. Other than the home run, he had just one other hit this week and also drew one walk. If he continues like this, he will likely get demoted when Mark Vientos returns from the injured list.
The Mets’ catching tandem managed just one hit apiece this week. One single is all Luis Torrens did in 13 plate appearances, so he earns the poop emoji this week. Francisco Alvarez was only slightly more productive, walking twice and scoring a run in addition to his hit (a single). The Mets desperately need more from Alvarez in particular.
Luisangel Acuña is the only hitter at the bottom of the order to have an okay week. He collected two hits in six plate appearances, scoring a run and also walking once. Jared Young, however, went hitless in four plate appearances this week. He reached base once via a walk. Though the Mets have a sterling record with him in the lineup, he has not contributed much himself lately.