NY Yankees, Mets: What’s ahead following first Subway Series matchup
After the Yankees took two out of three in the first Subway Series in 2025, what can they and the Mets expect before their July rematch.
BOSTON — The engine of the Mets’ offense is sputtering, and the positive momentum that began through April is beginning to stall.
Juan Soto chalked up the Mets’ recent offensive malaise to the normal ups and downs of the Major League Baseball season. Carlos Mendoza sees a lack of execution in opportunities with runners in scoring position.
Both could be true, but the Mets’ result remained the same as their offense could not back up another capable pitching performance. The Mets were 1-for-8 with runners in scoring position and left six runners on base as they fell, 3-1, to the Red Sox in front of 33,548 fans at Fenway Park.
“At times, I feel like we’re taking really good pitches to hit, being passive and then at times chasing,” Mendoza said. “We got to start executing.”
The top of the Mets’ lineup, which is often the best driver of the team’s success, struggled mightily on this night. The combination of Francisco Lindor, Soto and Pete Alonso finished the night 2-for-10 with two singles and two walks.
“They’re humans. Our offense, those guys go, we’re gonna go,” Mendoza said. “Yesterday, they went 0-for, I think it was. Today, Pete and Juan just one of them. They’re going to go through it at times and right now, they’re fighting.”
That production was not enough to help the Mets get back on track after their Subway Series loss to the Yankees last weekend. Despite remaining 10 games over .500 at 29-19, the Mets are on 8-9 in the month of May and 12-14 on the road this season.
Kodai Senga gave up three earned runs in the first two innings, settled in to deal six quality frames but dropped to 4-3 with the loss.
Francisco Lindor working through a slump
In the series opener against the Pirates at Citi Field back on May 12, Lindor recorded three hits to see his batting average ascend to .310.
Since that game, Lindor has not been the same table-setter that he had been in the opening month. With an 0-for-3 performance on Monday night, Lindor is now 1 for his last 22.
The Mets shortstop had some ideal chances to get the Mets back in the game, trailing 3-1, on Monday but came up empty. With two runners on base and two outs in the fifth inning, Lindor battled through a 10-pitch at-bat but swung through a slider from Red Sox reliever Justin Wilson to be sent down.
“I thought he chased today against a lefty and then trying to be aggressive on that first pitch in the (seventh),” Mendoza said. “He’s not going to be perfect all the time. He’s too good of a player and I feel like the past couple of days, he’s not getting the results there. He’ll be fine.”
Lindor had another opportunity with two on base in the seventh but grounded out to second base against Red Sox reliever Justin Slaten. After batting .339 in the month of April, Lindor is now .229 in May, bringing his yearly average to .279.
‘We’ll discuss that’: Juan Soto slow out of the box
Soto said he was hustling down the line but Mendoza saw it differently.
For the second straight night, it appeared that Soto did not break out of the batter’s box. One was a ground ball, the other a potential home run.
On Monday, Soto paused to admire a long fly ball to left field that he torched 101.9 mph off the bat, but the ball careened off the top of the Green Monster and he was held to a single. He eventually stole second base and moved to third on a double play but was left stranded there.
The initial delay came one night after he initially jogged after sending a sharp grounder up the middle that was knocked down but not gloved cleanly by DJ LeMahieu as the Mets outfielder was thrown out at first base.
“We’ll talk to him about it. Tonight, obviously someone gets a hold of one and if he knows when he gets it, it’s Juan,” Mendoza said. “He thought he had it. But with the wind and all that, and in this ballpark and anywhere, but in particular in this one with that wall right there, you gotta get out of the box. We’ll discuss that.”
Soto finished the night 1-for-4. He grounded into a double play with two runners on base in the top of the third inning to end an early Mets threat. Since belting three home runs in two days against the Diamondbacks and Cubs on May 7 and 9, respectively, Soto is now 4-for-29 (.138) with seven walks, three runs and eight strikeouts in his last eight games.
Pete Alonso commits another error
On Sunday night, Alonso had a chance to throw out the go-ahead run but threw wide of home plate. One night later, he succumbed to another error when his lob sailed over the head of Senga.
This time, there was no harm done except for Senga throwing an additional nine pitches. But after only committing one error in his first 46 games, Alonso now has two in as many.
“It’s kind of weird to see it, especially some of the routine plays when you’ve just got to flip the ball,” Mendoza said. “Maybe thinking too much about it. When they’re struggling offensively, they go through stretches defensively too.”
Alonso has dealt with some hard luck in recent games at the plate. Monday was the latest example when his 109 mph line drive to left field bounced off the very top of the Green Monster and he was thrown out at second.
He finished 1-for-3 with a walk as he maintained a .301 batting average. Over his last 10 games, Alonso is 8-for-39 (.205) with three doubles, two runs and 16 strikeouts.