News Every Day | 18 April 2024, 23:40

3 Up, 3 Down: Mets Perfect The Basics In Pirates Sweep

Arguably the biggest takeaway to emerge from the Pirates series is the fact that the New York Mets just played really fundamentally sound baseball.

They also got the basics right and handled their business on the way to clinching their first series sweep of the year. And, just like that, the Mets have won 10 of 13 and now have four consecutive series wins.

New York will head to LA riding a four-game hot streak and, ahead of what will be a real litmus test against Mookie Betts, Shohei Ohtani, and the Dodgers, all seems pretty damn sweet in Met Land.

And, on that note, let’s unpack everything there is to unpack from the sweep of the Pirates in the latest edition of 3 Up, 3 Down.

3 UP

Apr 17, 2024; New York City, New York, USA; New York Mets right fielder Tyrone Taylor (15) follows through on a two run single against the Pittsburgh Pirates during the sixth inning at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

PLAYING SMART

If there was one flaw that really worried you about this team, it was the lack of defense and the alarming amount of mental errors in the field. Well, there was some improvement to that end in this series. Granted, the Mets were not perfect defensively, but they got the basics right and played fundamentally sound baseball. As opposed to the Pirates, who made a slew of mental errors in addition to refusing to hustle out of the box. To that end, New York outsmarted and out-fielded Pittsburgh, and that proved to be a big difference. The Mets handled their business in the field with minimal fuss all series long. The defense also did a really good job of helping Luis Severino out of a few jams on Wednesday.

DODGING A BULLET

If one thing can derail the red-hot Mets right now, it is injuries. Well, this team had a scare on Tuesday night when Brett Baty left the game with hamstring tightness. Given how well the third baseman has adapted to life in the majors in his second year, losing him for any amount of time would have been a major blow. Thankfully, it appears as though Baty has avoided the IL and could be back in the lineup within the next few days. That’s good news for everybody.

ROLE PLAYER SUPREME

Hands up if you expected Tyrone Taylor to be one of the Mets’ most consistent bats through the first couple weeks of the year. Anyone? No, me neither. But, here we are and Taylor is proving that he’s worthy of an everyday role on this team. Taylor went 4-for-6 in two games against the Pirates, including driving in a couple of runs in a big spot in the series finale. The veteran is now hitting .341/.378/.463/.841 with a home run, 10 RBIs, three walks, and two stolen bases through 15 games. He’s also 5-for-12 with RISP. Having also played all three outfield positions, Taylor is starting to become a very valuable piece for this Mets team. You need those kinds of highly-effective role players in order to be successful over the course of a 162-game season.

3 DOWN

Photo by Ed Delany of Metmerized

ANOTHER SETBACK

While not directly related to events in the Pirates series, the Mets did get some bad news on the injury front. It was reported on Thursday that pitching prospect Calvin Ziegler, who ranks No. 22 on the MMO list of prospects, will have to undergo Tommy John surgery. It is yet another blow for the 21-year-old, who missed nearly all of last season with elbow and quadriceps injuries. As a direct result, the Mets’ pitching depth outside of the majors also takes a major blow.

MAKES NO SENSE

It speaks to how good the Mets were in this series that I don’t actually have too many negatives to talk about. Instead, I was left rather confused by the fact that the Mets claimed RHP Michael Tonkin off waivers this week. The same Michael Tonkin they had traded to the Twins for cash a hot minute ago. Given that Tonkin had a 4.50 ERA in 3 outings for the Mets, and a 9.00 ERA in just one appearance for Minnesota, I’m not exactly sure of the merits of bringing him back into the organization. But, hey, I’ll be happy to be proved wrong on this one.

EMPTY CITI

Through 18 games, the Mets rank 18th in home attendance, averaging just 23,464. Now, it is April and the weather hasn’t exactly been great. Plus, there are probably some fans still staying away after the disappointment of last year. And that’s totally understandable. After all, this team crapped the bed in the biggest way possible and that is hard to get up from. However, with the Mets red hot right now and playing like a team that is just fun to root for, they deserve bigger crowds. Of course, it is still early and there are bigger litmus tests ahead. But, with J.D. Martinez still to come, not to mention it should only be a matter of time before Francisco Lindor‘s bat gets hot, it would be nice if there were a few more fans inside Citi Field to help support what is a really likable team.

Hey, it can still be fun to root for the underdog.