The Mets went 17-10 in July to solidify themselves as playoff contenders, finding themselves in the thick of the Wild Card race at the end of the month. The club went 9-5 before the All-Star break to finish the first half at 49-46. After a four-game split with the Miami Marlins coming out of the break, the Mets went an impressive 6-3 against the New York Yankees, Atlanta Braves and Minnesota Twins to close July at 57-51.
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This wasn’t close. Francisco Lindor heard “M-V-P” chants at Citi Field on July 25 after homering for the fifth time in four games. (The research department is working on whether or not Lindor is the fastest to earn MVP chants after an All-Star snub.) He hit nine homers, drove in 23 runs and slashed .274/.384/.557 in July for a team-leading .941 OPS.
Lindor also came up clutch when the Mets needed him the most. Down 2-1 with two outs in the ninth inning on July 7 at Pittsburgh, he hit a game-winning, two-run single off Aroldis Chapman.
“He does throw really hard,” Lindor said of Chapman. “I think he’s throwing harder now than when I faced him a bunch of times before. I’ve faced him probably eight to 10 times and he’s been on the winning side most of them. Today, it was my turn.”
Lindor also stole seven bases and played stellar defense. It will be hard to beat out Shohei Ohtani for MVP, but Lindor could inject himself into the race if he keeps up this pace over the final two months of the season.
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Jose Quintana went 3-1 with a 2.05 ERA and 0.98 WHIP in five July starts. He recorded 25 strikeouts over 30 2/3 innings while opponents batted .176 against him for the month. He started July with back-to-back outings of seven scoreless innings, both of which came against the Washington Nationals.
After tossing six innings of one-run ball in a win over the Minnesota Twins on July 29, he was asked how it felt to be in a playoff race.
“It’s great, it’s great,” Quintana said. “Every day, every game is so important, and we know that.”
The 13-year veteran has pitched in the playoffs twice before in his career – first with the 2017 Chicago Cubs and again with the 2022 St. Louis Cardinals.
“To make the playoffs, that would be huge for us,” Quintana said.
Another highlight for Quintana came on July 4, when the 35-year-old native of Colombia made his first start on Independence Day as an American citizen.
“It means a lot for me and my family,” Quintana said. “It feels great, and you know I got the opportunity to pitch on Fourth of July a couple of times. I think I have good numbers that day, too.”
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