Regret will probably be in the air for the New York Mets after the completion of their series against the Dodgers.

The Mets split the four-game set with L.A., and they also secured the season series. That could have huge implications further down the road.

However, New York also blew late leads in both losses. That included throwing away the finale and a chance to win the series. A slew of missed opportunities were to blame for the Mets being unable to make a real statement in Hollywood.

On that note, let’s recap all the good, the bad and the downright frustrating from the four-game series in L.A. in the latest edition of 3 Up, 3 Down…

Pete Alonso (20) Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

3 UP
SEASON SERIES SECURED

As frustrating as the split in L.A. was, the Mets were still able to achieve a significant feat by taking the season series against the Dodgers. Why is that so important? Well, if both teams finish with the same record, the Mets would get a higher seed in the playoffs. They would also get home-field advantage against L.A. in a series. Furthermore, the season series could help New York secure the last Wild Card spot if the final postseason berth came down to those two teams. So, all in all, the two wins in L.A. could prove to be huge come the end of the regular season.

ON A HEATER

Pete Alonso just can’t be stopped right now. The slugging first baseman is on quite the heater, and he was unstoppable in L.A. Alonso went a combined 7-for-16 with three homers, four runs scored and nine RBIs against the Dodgers. He hit two home runs and drove in five of New York’s six runs in Wednesday’s win. This version of Alonso is truly frightening, and this current version could be key to taking down the Dodgers in the postseason.

(NEARLY) BACK TO HIS OLD SELF

One of the biggest positives to emerge from the trip to L.A. is the fact that Juan Soto continues to remain on the right track. The superstar hitter is looking more and more like his old self. He got on base a ton against the Dodgers, drawing six walks while hitting a homer, a double and scoring two runs. He also finished the series with three RBIs. Sure, we are still waiting for vintage Soto to turn up. We aren’t quite there just yet. But, with that said, we’re getting closer. Soto is hitting .273/.484/.773/.1.257 over his last seven games. The series against the Dodgers was another step in the right direction.

Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

3 DOWN
FATAL ERROR

Brett Baty has done a lot of good since getting called back up to the majors. However, Thursday will be a day that the infielder will want to forget, and in a hurry too. In the eighth inning, with Will Smith on third base and one out, the Dodgers were rallying and Baty gave them a direct helping hand. The third baseman was faced with a routine grounder, and an even simpler throw to home plate to get Smith in a rundown. Instead, Baty flubbed the play, double-pumping before tossing the ball into the dirt, thus allowing Smith to score. It was a brain fart and a poor play that made it a tied game. Now, the loss isn’t squarely on Baty’s shoulders, but his failure to execute an easy play certainly led to a frustrating implosion.

SELF-ENFORCED ERRORS

Speaking of, the Mets only have themselves to blame for not winning the finale and taking the series. They finished 2-for-10 with runners in scoring position, leaving 13 runners stranded on base. If that wasn’t bad enough, the Mets made sloppy, unforced errors, both in the finale and in the second game of the series. You can’t give a team as loaded as the Dodgers as many free passes as New York did. The series was right there for the taking for the Mets, but they just couldn’t cash in despite having a boatload of traffic on the base paths. Both the inability to take advantage with RISP and sloppy defense have the potential to really hurt this team when it matters most this year, just as it did in L.A. in this series.

TOE TROUBLE

Francisco Lindor suffered a fractured pinky toe after being hit by a pitch on Wednesday. The shortstop intends to play through the injury, but was out of the lineup on Thursday. Lindor seems confident that he can weather the pain and play on, and hopefully that’s the case. The last thing the Mets need is for their star shortstop to be hindered by anything or, even worse, be out for any stretch of time.