Walk-off heroics were the series’ theme for the New York Mets against the Orioles.
Twice, the Mets beat Baltimore in walk-off fashion to take two out of three from Baltimore. As a result, crucial ground was made up in the race for a Wild Card spot.
Furthermore, New York further highlighted its postseason credentials by beating the Orioles, one of the best teams in baseball.
On that note, let’s dive into another edition of 3 Up, 3 Down…
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Besides an ugly clunker in the second game, this was a memorable series for the Mets. And a lot of that was thanks to some late-inning heroics. In the series opener, Francisco Alvarez broke out of his slump with a mammoth 421 ft walk-off blast to win the game. It was Alvarez’s first career walk-off homer. If that wasn’t thrilling enough, Jesse Winker arguably went one better in the series finale. With the game tied 3-3 in the bottom of the ninth, Winker stepped up to the plate and launched a pinch-hit, game-winning bomb. It was Winker’s first home run as a Met, and what a time for it to arrive. Both walk-off homers were huge in winning this series against an elite O’s team. They could also be massive in the overall context of the season.
Sean Manaea continues to be money when his team really needs him the most. The lefty was stellar on Wednesday, retiring the first 17 hitters he faced. He did give up a two-home run, but finished with nine strikeouts and no walks. More importantly, Manaea gave the Mets length by going a full seven innings. He’s now tossed seven innings in four of his last five outings. And the veteran’s dominant start set the groundwork for the heroics that followed in the series finale.
There are not enough superlatives to justify Francisco Lindor’s greatness in 2024. The shortstop is playing at the very peak of his powers right now. He’s carrying this team, and that was on display against Baltimore. Lindor laced two doubles on Tuesday, before getting the Mets on the board on Wednesday with his 25th homer of the year. As a result of that blast, he also created some history. Lindor is the first shortstop in MLB history with three seasons of 25/25 (Mathew Brownstein).
Furthermore, he has reached base in 20 straight games and is the only player – along with Royals star Bobby Witt Jr. – to go 25/25 and have 30 doubles in MLB in 2024. Yes, Lindor is playing at an elite level right now, and he deserves MVP consideration.
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There was hope that Francisco Alvarez’s walk-off homer on Monday would signal a breakout. Instead, the catcher returned to his struggles throughout the series. He went 0-for-3 with a walk on Tuesday, before striking out in his only at-bat as a pinch-hitter in the finale. The Mets will need as much power as they can get from their lineup down the stretch. Therefore, they will need more of the slugging Alvarez we saw on Monday.
Just what has happened to José Quintana? The veteran starter has seemingly fallen off a cliff in 2024. He was awful in his latest start on Tuesday, allowing seven earned runs on eight hits with two walks over five innings. He also gave up two home runs. As a result, Quintana has now allowed 22 home runs on the year and his ERA sits at 4.57. Furthermore, he has pitched to a brutal 8.27 ERA in August. Quintana has become the weak link in this rotation, which could become a major problem.
The Mets’ one loss in this series was an ugly one. And the 9-5 clunker to the Orioles was filled with unwatchable errors and cheap mistakes. Brandon Nimmo, still nursing a sore shoulder, misplayed a ball in the outfield before lefty reliever Danny Young threw the ball away to allow two runs to score and put the game out of reach. All in all, those mistakes didn’t prove costly as far as the series was concerned. However, those kinds of mental lapses could prove costly in a Wild Card race as tight as this one.
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