Spencer Steer hit a two-run homer to lead the Mets past the Cincinnati Reds 3-2 on Friday night, his 23rd of this season and 84th overall in his major-league career – good enough for third overall in total homers hit!
Francisco Lindor recorded three hits. He leads his team with 23 doubles, 1 triple, 14 homers and 86 RBI.
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Mets’ Offense
On Friday night at Citi Field against the Cincinnati Reds, the Mets managed to produce two home runs from their lineup in their 6-4 win. First came Mark Vientos with his two-run, 368-foot blast off Fernando Cruz before Elly De La Cruz hit Sean Manaea for two runs with her 401-foot shot to deep center field.
Shohei Ohtani provided the only other significant offensive issue on Friday when he homered off Tyler Megill for three runs in the seventh inning and launched it into the upper deck near right field foul pole. Megill couldn’t get his glove on it but you wouldn’t know it by watching Ohtani hit it.
No one could possibly deny that, at this early point in a 162-game season, the Mets’ offense has started off poorly. They’ve gone 0-for-6 with runners in scoring position in four games and left nine men on base; their big guns have not played together well collectively either, which poses serious doubt about their long-term health as a team.
The Mets defense has also underperformed this year. According to advanced metrics, they rank among the worst teams in baseball when it comes to defensive runs saved, having already cost themselves 24 runs with their gloves. While it would be wrong to make too much of any individual game at this stage of the season, when their top players are playing so poorly one must wonder about that team and whether its overall performance has suffered as a result.
Mets’ Defense
The Mets look like an intriguing postseason team on paper, but will they hit enough to reach October? Luckily for them, pitching and defense have been key contributors this season.
Mets’ defense stands out at home, where they rank second only to the Giants and Cubs for best fielding percentage (.986) in baseball. That has contributed significantly to New York becoming one of only two teams with both positive team run differential and above-average run scoring margin at home.
New York’s defense has its share of issues as well. Their infield defense remains an issue; Brandon Nimmo, Jeff McNeil and Todd Frazier don’t make for ideal leadoff hitter or backstop defense – an issue which calls into question their utility as defensive units in general. It is for this reason why New York needs another veteran left-handed bat as depth or backup for either Starling Marte or D.J. Stewart should they become injured and miss time on the field.
While the Mets boast an outstanding defensive team, some of their young players have struggled in high-pressure situations, particularly catcher Amed Rosario (.185 with runners in scoring position). This has caused some fans to question his rightful spot behind the plate; this decision will likely play out over the course of this season.
However, the Mets have an experienced bench and should be able to weather any short-term setbacks. On Friday they added Jay Bruce as a veteran right-handed bat and could still bring in another left-handed outfielder as needed.
Mets’ Pitching
The Mets’ offense has been on fire lately, yet their pitching remains a cause for concern. Their 4.13 ERA ranks eighth in the National League; that won’t do against any playoff-bound opponent. Tonight against Cincinnati they hope to turn it around.
Mark Vientos got New York going in the first inning by hitting a two-run homer off Fernando Cruz; however, Elly De La Cruz and TJ Friedl responded with two home runs of their own off Felipe Hernandez.
Vientos was back at it again in the 10th inning with the game tied 4-4 and hit a homer off a 94 mph fastball from Justin Wilson to give his Mets victory and earn him his fourth homer of 2018. Additionally, this victory helped them improve to 68-73 for 2018.
The Mets’ bullpen was another star performer on this night, keeping the Reds at bay throughout much of the game with one hit and three walks allowed while striking out six batters in just over three innings of work.
Sean Manaea excelled in his return to the starting rotation, holding the Reds to only four runs over 30.2 innings and finishing with an outstanding 3.35 ERA and 37 strikeouts across his last six starts.
Manaea excels with his split finger pitch, which has proven itself against right-handed batters this year by holding them to just a.207 average and posting an amazing 59.2% whiff rate against them this season – his career high whiff rate against righties! Additionally, his nasty slider can also be effective against lefties; but keeping his command is vital in order for Manaea to remain effective against the Reds.
Mets’ Bench
Bench players often play just as critical a role in helping teams achieve victory on the diamond. Without receiving much fanfare or recognition for their hard work, these unheralded individuals work tirelessly towards helping their team win games – winning being their primary objective.
This year, the Mets’ bench has come through for them in a big way. With JD Davis, Brandon Nimmo and Pete Alonso spending considerable time on injured reserve lists, their “bench mob” has taken on much of the burden to carry their squad successfully through this season.
Jonathan Villar has been one of the Mets’ most valuable bench members this season, playing multiple positions across the infield with an OPS+ of 88 and bWAR of 1.8 – making him an early frontrunner for this year’s National League MVP award.
Ramon Castro has long been a cornerstone of the Mets bench, having played over two decades and earned himself a lifetime batting average of.244. Additionally, Castro boasts strong defensive abilities which makes him an invaluable backup at catcher for New York.
Kevin Pillar and Damion Easley have helped fill out the Mets bench this season, along with rookie shortstop Luis Torrens and free agent outfielder Jose Iglesias. These additions give the Mets an adaptable group that can cover many positions on an injury-plagued team like this year.
Mets’ Starting Pitching
As the Mets look to secure a wild card spot, their pitching staff has been instrumental in their recent success. On Friday against the Reds at Citi Field, the Mets won 6-4 in 13 innings thanks to pitching staff success.
Sean Manaea proved to be the defining moment of this match for the Mets, pitching six innings while giving up only two earned runs – walking one batter while striking out four and throwing more than 80 pitches each time out.
Although they had an impressive start, the Mets eventually succumbed to fatigue in the late innings. Following TJ Friedl’s two-run homer, they trailed 4-3 entering the bottom of 13th inning; but after rallying with Juan Soto hitting a walk-off homer they managed to win in extra innings.
Even though Manaea’s performance was encouraging for the Mets, more talent must still be added to their rotation if they want to remain relevant in 2025. Luckily, David Stearns, president of baseball operations for New York has already begun taking steps towards strengthening his starting staff.
Kodai Senga and Clay Holmes signed multi-year deals, while Frankie Montas made the transition into relief pitching. Unfortunately, however, Luis Severino may no longer be an option due to age 33 season approaching.
Corbin Burnes, Max Fried and Blake Snell may all be available via free agency for the Mets to sign, but that is no certainty. Stearns prefers acquiring starting pitchers via trade or draft and has rarely committed more than two years to any free-agent starting pitcher during his time as Mets president.