Talk about a rough weekend for the New York Mets in Miami. If dropping two out of three to a bad Marlins team wasn’t bad enough, Edwin Díaz‘s struggles continued to escalate, Christian Scott endured his first tough outing, and more red flags emerged. Sure, the Mets did show some life by winning the series finale, but one […]
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Talk about a rough weekend for the New York Mets in Miami.
If dropping two out of three to a bad Marlins team wasn’t bad enough, Edwin Díaz‘s struggles continued to escalate, Christian Scott endured his first tough outing, and more red flags emerged.
Sure, the Mets did show some life by winning the series finale, but one victory isn’t enough to convince anyone that this is a team good enough to make the postseason.
It just isn’t.
What the long-term future might look like for the current core of this team remains to be seen, that’s for sure. But, for now, let’s dive into the latest edition of 3 Up, 3 Down…
Photo by Roberto Carlo
With Edwin Díaz in an all-time slump, the Mets need someone else to step up in the closer role. That someone could come from an unlikely source in Reed Garrett. Emerging out of nowhere to pitch as if his life depended on it, Garrett has quickly morphed into the ace of the bullpen this year. And that only continued this weekend. The righty recorded two scoreless innings with four strikeouts on Sunday, picking up his second save of the year. As a result, the Mets can afford to take their time with Díaz, given Garrett’s ability to perform in all situations.
Hitting early and often was the key to the Mets’ success on Sunday. Tyrone Taylor and Harrison Bader scored two runs in the first inning, with a new-look lineup paying dividends. As a result, the Mets were able to ride that fast start to a confidence-boosting win. Granted, the series will still go down as a loss, but avoiding the sweep was crucial. Furthermore, several players stepped up offensively and were able to get the job done in a big way.
This is the J.D. Martinez we’ve all been waiting for. The slugger is starting to look like himself, especially in the wake of a big performance on Saturday. Martinez went 2-for-5 with a double and two RBIs in the 10-9 implosion, showing the kind of power he’s famous for. He is an absolute wizard at the plate and is one of the smartest hitters in the game. That’s starting to show in a Mets uniform. Having missed Sunday’s game through illness, the Mets hope to have Martinez’s big and crucial bat back in the lineup as soon as possible.
Edwin Díaz. Mandatory Credit: Rhona Wise-USA TODAY Sports
Hands up if you thought the dark days of Edwin Díaz blowing saves were long gone. Yes, me too. Sadly, one of the best closers in the game is engulfed in an all-time slump. In short, he is looking like the 2019 version of Edwin Díaz. And nobody wants that. The two-time All-Star has struggled for a while, but his implosion was complete on Saturday. Entering a game in which the Mets were leading 9-5, Díaz blew a four-run lead by giving up a three-run homer to Josh Bell and recorded just one out. It was just brutal to watch. As a result, Díaz now has three blown saves on the year. If Díaz can’t get back to the peak of his powers quickly, then the Mets can wave goodbye to any hopes of the postseason. Period.
Outside of Sunday, this was not a good weekend for Mets starters. Phenom Christian Scott endured his first tough outing in the majors on Friday. The rookie was shelled for four earned runs on seven hits with one walk and three strikeouts over four innings. He also gave up a home run. However, Scott showed some resolve throughout those struggles, which is an encouraging sign moving forward. Then, on Saturday, Luis Severino endured an up-and-down outing, allowing five runs on six hits with just three strikeouts over 6.2 innings. Those struggles set the stage for the collapse that would come later in the game. Overall, the starting pitching made life incredibly difficult for the Mets in Miami.
It sure feels like dramatic change could be on the horizon for the New York Mets. Dropping two of three to a bad Marlins team only highlighted how flawed this team is. The core is not playing to the back of their baseball cards. Both Jeff McNeil and Starling Marte look cooked. The defense is way below average. The starting pitching has regressed dramatically. There are a ton of question marks all over the roster. And one of the best closers in baseball suddenly looks very, very, very hittable. In short, the 2024 Mets are the perfect picture of ineptitude right now, and tearing it all down to the studs may be the only logical solution come the trade deadline.
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