POTW: Vientos Plays Hero, Severino Holds It Down

The scorching hot Mets covered a lot of ground in the National League Wild Card over the past week-plus, which included a nine-game winning streak before losing on Sunday to the Cincinnati Reds. They currently find themselves tied with the Atlanta Braves for the third and final Wild Card spot with 19 games to go in the regular season. The Mets have been getting contributions across the roster, but there were a few standout performances that have put them in a groove.

Offensive Player of the Week: Mark Vientos

Vientos has been nothing short of spectacular for the Mets this season. His power and ability to come up in the clutch have been impressive after a rough beginning to his Major League career over his first 81 games spanning two seasons. He currently leads the team with a .893 OPS and will likely finish the season with the team lead. Despite only playing in 93 games, he ranks fourth in extra-base hits (44) and fifth in RBIs (62). While many knew of his potential upside coming up in the ranks, I don’t think anyone could have quite expected this quick turnaround, and his play this season will earn him the starting third base job heading into 2025 and beyond.

The highlight of Vientos’ week came Friday when he swatted two two-run homers in a 6-4 win against the Reds, including a walk-off blast in the tenth inning. He put on a show for the fans in attendance. Vientos finished the week at the plate going 6-for-19 with three home runs, five RBIs and two walks.

Pitcher of the Week: Luis Severino

The veteran right-hander was signed to a low-risk, high-reward one-year contract in the offseason, and it has paid off tremendously for both sides. Severino has been a consistent cog at the front of the Mets’ rotation all season long, seemingly getting better down the stretch run when the team needs him the most. He’s on pace to start 30+ games for the first time since 2018 when he was a member of the Yankees.

He tossed seven innings of one-run ball on Monday against the Boston Red Sox, allowing six hits and two walks with five strikeouts. It was the sixth start that Sevy completed seven or more innings this season. He followed up Monday’s win with another solid outing on Sunday against the Reds, where he pitched six and two-thirds innings, allowing one earned run on five hits with eight punch outs.

Honorable Mention: Francisco Lindor

Mets fans are showing their love for Lindor, showering him with M-V-P chants at Citi Field. The MVP candidate went 7-for-24 at the plate, collecting three multi-hit games this week. He tacked on four more RBIs to his team-leading 84 and scored his 100th run in Saturday’s game. With less than 20 games remaining, he has a real chance to receive top-place MVP votes.

Up Next

The Mets head north of the border to take on the Toronto Blue Jays in inter-league play starting Monday for a three-game series before a weekend series against divisional rival Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park. Paul Blackburn is expected to make his first start since August 23, when a comeback line drive struck him on his throwing hand before landing on the Injured List with a hand contusion. The deadline pickup will look to get the Mets right back in the win column, going full force into the final stretch of the regular season.

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