3 Up, 3 Down: Surging Mets Sweep Yankees

Summer has officially been saved thanks to the New York Mets. After beating the absolute tar out of the Yankees to sweep the Subway Series, the Mets are a .500 team again for the first time in 50 days. Their 15-6 record in June is the best in baseball. Furthermore, they’ve won 11 of their […]

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Summer has officially been saved thanks to the New York Mets.

After beating the absolute tar out of the Yankees to sweep the Subway Series, the Mets are a .500 team again for the first time in 50 days.

Their 15-6 record in June is the best in baseball. Furthermore, they’ve won 11 of their last 13 games. A red-hot offense has been key to that success. In those 11 wins, the Mets have scored a whopping 76 runs. That includes 21 runs in just two games against the Yankees.

Since the players-only meeting on May 29, the Mets are an impressive 17-6 and they’ve ensured that this summer in Queens will be a hell of a lot of fun.

On that note, let’s dive right into a Subway Series edition of 3 Up, 3 Down…

3 UP

TEST PASSED

The Subway Series was always going to act as a significant litmus test for the red-hot Mets. While the previously volcanic Yankees have cooled off, they are still one of the best teams in baseball and own two of the best hitters in the game, Aaron Judge and Juan Soto. As such, this two-game set at Citi Field would help prove if these Mets were for real or not. Well, we got our answer. Now, back to .500, this current version of the Mets does indeed look like the real deal. They scored a combined 21 runs in just two games, shelling a legit ace in Gerrit Cole and a future star in Luis Gil.

They withstood a late rally on Tuesday and even survived some wild weather to complete the sweep on Wednesday. This team, particularly the offense, looks unstoppable right now, and the postseason is starting to look more and more likely. What a remarkable turnaround. Victory in the Subway Series should go down as a real statement of intent.

HEART AND SOUL

Key to the aforementioned unstoppable offense is Francisco Alvarez. The phenom catcher has been unstoppable since coming off the IL. Currently riding an eight-game hitting streak, Alvarez is hitting .556/.647/.1.037 with four doubles, three homers and nine RBI. He was lights out against the Yankees, reaching base in all four plate appearances on Wednesday. Furthermore, Alvarez his his fourth home run of the year, and drove in three RBI.

The Mets are now 22-3 in the last 25 games Alvarez has played in. Talk about being the heart and soul of the team. That’s your catcher of the future, right there.

FIREWORKS SHOW

Forget about the Greatest Show On Turf—or even the star-laden Dodgers. The Mets are the most entertaining team in baseball right now. Their offense has been absolutely exhilarating, and it ranks first in several categories since May 30. In the 11 wins out of the last 13 games, this team has piled on a whopping 76 runs, including 21 in the Subway Series alone. Not only that, but everyone is contributing 1-through-9 in the lineup.

Mark Vientos hit a pair of homers on Tuesday before collecting two RBIs and two walks the following night. Harrison Bader went yard twice against his old team. Tyrone Taylor had a three RBI night on Wednesday. We’ve already talked about Francisco Alvarez’s exploits. Francisco Lindor hit three doubles in two games and has been red-hot at the plate for a while now. What slow start? Brandon Nimmo, J.D. Martinez and Pete Alonso are getting the job done at the top of the lineup. All in all, this offense is electric to watch on a night-to-night basis, and long may it continue.

Photo Credit: Jim Cowsert-USA TODAY Sports

3 DOWN

WALKING WOUNDED

The bullpen just can’t catch a break. Coming swiftly on the heels of Edwin Díaz‘s 10-game suspension for sticky stuff, Drew Smith was placed on the 15-day IL with a right elbow sprain. It remains to be seen how serious the injury is and how long Smith will be out. If Smith is indeed out for a substantial period of time, then that is another body blow for a bullpen that is in need of a break or two.

RUNNING OUT OF GAS

On the subject of the bullpen, Tuesday night was not a vintage night for Mets relievers. The pen allowed six runs – five earned – with Reed Garrett giving up a grand slam to Aaron Judge. Although, in fairness to Garrett, he did get the job done in the ninth inning to secure the win. Adam Ottavino also gave up a couple of runs on Tuesday. Overall, the bullpen has been taxed for a while, and there doesn’t seem to be too many sure things in that group. Adding bullpen help might be the biggest job for the front office at the trade deadline.

GOING SHORT

Not helping the bullpen’s case is the rotation. David Peterson went only 4 1/3 innings on Tuesday, as he struggled with the strike zone and walked five batters. Sean Manaea walked five more on Wednesday, though he was at only 77 pitches when the rain shortened his outing to five innings. As noted above, the Mets bullpen will be a key thing to watch as Díaz serves the rest of his 10-game suspension, and the starters pitching into the 6th/7th/8th innings would be a huge help for the relievers.

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