3 Up, 3 Down: Mets Stay Hot In Texas

The Grimace era is no longer perfect for the New York Mets.

After taking the first two games in Texas, the Mets dropped the series finale to the Rangers on Wednesday, snapping a seven-game winning streak.

Despite the loss, and more bullpen struggles, it was still a fun few days in the Lone Star State as this team continued to roll and make up ground in the Wild Card race.

With that, let’s dive into another edition of 3 Up, 3 Down…

3 UP

SAVE MACHINE

It is no secret that if the Mets are to make the postseason, then they need Edwin Díaz at the very peak of his powers. The good news is that Díaz has returned to form since returning off the injured list. The star closer recorded another save in Tuesday’s win – his seventh of the year – which also extended the team’s winning streak to seven games. More importantly, the confidence and the swagger appears to be back. Díaz has yet to allow a run in three appearances since coming back from a right shoulder impingement. This is the version of Díaz the Mets will need the rest of the way if they want to make it an interesting summer in Queens.

CAN’T LIVE WITHOUT YOU

If you want to know just how important Francisco Alvarez is to the Mets, then I have a whopper of a stat for you. With Alvarez in the lineup, New York is 18-2, dating back to April 4. That’s pretty damn remarkable. We received further proof of Alvarez’s importance to this team in Texas, as the catcher collected three hits in each of the first two games of the series, recording four RBIs and coming up with some clutch at-bats throughout that span. His two-run double in the eighth inning of Tuesday’s game off former battery mate David Robertson made it a tied game and was a defining moment in the club’s comeback victory. If that isn’t being instrumental to your team’s success, then I don’t know what is.

CLICKING INTO PLACE

For the first time this year, all of the Mets’ big hitters are playing to the back of their baseball cards. That was the case throughout the entirety of the seven-game winning streak, including in Texas. Francisco Lindor continues to prove why worrying about his slow starts is pointless as he had a big series with five hits and three RBIs. Pete Alonso tallied five RBIs and a couple of clutch hits, including the game-winner on Tuesday. J.D. Martinez has been rolling, Starling Marte has been resurgent and Brandon Nimmo blasted a pair of homers with five RBIs during the three-game set. If the top of the lineup can continue to produce at the current clip, then the prospects of securing a Wild Card spot seems a lot more realistic.

3 DOWN 

LAYING AN EGG

After coming through in the first two games of the series, the bullpen gave the finale away on Wednesday. More specifically, Drew Smith was responsible for the loss. The righty entered with the game tied in the seventh inning before proceeding to give up a go-ahead two run blast to Leody Taveras. Relievers are going to blow games, but this one was a tough one to take with the winning streak being snapped.

ALL THINGS MUST END

All good things must come to an end. That’s just life. Therefore, the Mets having their seven-game winning streak snapped on Wednesday is just one of those things. However, the focus now switches to what comes next. The Mets are now set to open up a three-game set in Chicago against the Cubs on Friday. Given the ground they’ve made up in the Wild Card race over the past week, it is imperative they don’t allow one loss to spiral into a down stretch. Furthermore, we need evidence that this recent run wasn’t just a fluke and that the Mets actually are a good team. If they go and drop a load of games now, then all the fun we witnessed over the past couple of weeks will look like nothing more than a mirage.

R.I.P. TO AN ICON

The baseball world lost a true giant this week. During the game on Tuesday, the SNY broadcast broke the news to Mets fans that Hall of Famer Willie Mays had sadly passed away at the age of 93. Keith Hernandez got emotional while talking about the heartbreaking news, calling Mays “the best player” he had ever seen. It is hard to argue with Keith on that. Mays’ list of accomplishments on the diamond is staggering. The one-time Met will be remembered forever for “The Catch,” which lives on in baseball lore. Mays was the 1951 Rookie of the Year and also won two NL MVP awards, 12 Gold Gloves, two All-Star Game MVPs and a batting title all while being named a 24-time All-Star. Furthermore, he won the World Series with the Giants in 1954 and finished his storied career with 660 home runs, 3,293 hits and a .301 average.

Mays, who had his storied No. 24 jersey retired by the Mets in 2022, was one of the most exciting and electrifying players to have ever played the game. R.I.P. to a true icon.

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