Players of the Week: J.D.’s Power Trip, Quintana Bounces Back

The Mets enjoyed themselves their best week in a long time this season by winning five of their six games against the Miami Marlins and San Diego Padres. They combined dominant pitching performances with offense production to get things trending upwards. Still, with about a month and a half to go until the trade deadline, this Mets team is just beginning to make a real push for a wild card spot in a wide-open National League.

Offensive Player of the Week: J.D. Martinez

This week’s Offensive Player of the Week was a no-brainer. Martinez has been raking lately and contributed in just about every game this week, more so in two victories that included his first career walk-off home run and a game where he drove in both of the Mets’ runs, which led the team to a 2-1 victory over the San Diego Padres.

While J.D. has been solid for much of the season, it hasn’t been until recently that he has shown off his true power in Queens. He is driving the ball to right field well, especially into the right-center field gap, clearing the wall on multiple occasions. He’s been the most consistent Mets hitter recently and has played a pivotal role in the team’s recent hot streak.

Martinez went a combined 9-for-20 (.450 AVG) at the plate this week, with six of his nine hits for extra bases, including three homers. He compiled nine RBIs and six runs scored, leading the way for the lineup throughout the week.

Pitcher of the Week: Jose Quintana

It’s no secret that Quintana has not lived up to expectations through much of his 2024 campaign. Heading into his start on Saturday, his ERA was above five on the year, and he has had trouble getting deep into games. His struggles, along with Christian Scott and Kodai Senga‘s imminent returns, put Quintana’s spot in jeopardy.

In Saturday’s contest, he got through six strong innings against a tough Padres lineup. A lineup that includes the likes of Manny Machado, Fernando Tatis Jr. and the reigning batting champion Luis Arraez. Through six innings, he allowed two hits, two walks and two earned runs while striking out six. He located his pitches nicely compared to his last handful of outings and looked more like the pitcher he’s been over his 13-year career. He’ll need to continue to have outings like this to maintain his regular spot in the Mets rotation, and for the Mets to keep confidence in him to send him out every fifth day.

Honorable Mention: Edwin Díaz

Díaz returned from the IL before Thursday’s game after missing some time with a right shoulder impingement. In his first appearance since May 25, Díaz got the call in the ninth inning with the Mets trailing by one. He pitched a clean inning and secured the win after J.D. Martinez blasted a two-run shot to win in walk-off fashion.

He would appear in Friday night’s game and earn his first save since May 6 against the St. Louis Cardinals. Perhaps most importantly, his velocity seems back to the numbers he had pre-injury. He threw multiple fastballs that clocked at 100mph, a great sign for the Mets moving forward.

Up Next

The Mets travel to the Arlington/Dallas area to take on the reigning World Series champion Texas Rangers for a three-game series starting Monday night. They’ll enter Monday’s game looking to extend their five-game winning streak with David Peterson on the mound. The Rangers will have their veteran right-hander Jon Gray on the bump, who is having a great season, making it a tough task for the Mets lineup.

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