Three takeaways for the Mets from their series vs. the Baltimore Orioles
The Mets' Pete Alonso strikes out swinging during the eighth inning in the first game of a doubleheader against the Baltimore Orioles on Thursday in Baltimore. Credit: AP/Stephanie Scarbrough
BALTIMORE — Charm City felt a whole lot more like Harm City for the Mets in their series against the bottom-feeding Orioles, now 42-50.
Here are three takeaways after they dropped the three-game set:
1. The road woes continue and no one seems to know why
After getting swept in Thursday’s doubleheader, 3-1 and 7-3, the Mets fell to 20-27 on the road — by far the worst record of any team over .500. Thursday included another poor offensive day, once again keyed by bad situational hitting. The Mets went 2-for-19 with runners in scoring position and left 14 men on base over the two games.
“We haven’t gotten results on the road,” manager Carlos Mendoza said. “And in order for us to get where we’re going to get, we’ve got to start playing better. It’s been a struggle . . . We’re a good team and guys will come through.”
2. The ‘Fab Four’ can be a changing force, for good and bad
The nickname for Brandon Nimmo, Francisco Lindor, Juan Soto and Pete Alonso comes from owner Steven Cohen, who praised the top of the Mets’ order after a 7-6 comeback win over the Orioles on Tuesday.
Nimmo set the table, Lindor and Alonso homered in a four-run eighth to tie the score, and Soto’s RBI single in the 10th proved to be the winning hit. The quartet went 8-for-19 with two homers, a double and six RBIs that night.
“Phenomenal win led by the ‘Fab Four,’ ” Cohen posted on X after the series opener.
“We’ve seen it throughout the year,” Mendoza said. “A guy gets on, they’ve got the ability to hit it out of the ballpark at any time against anybody. It’s not easy to get through those four, five, six. When everyone is clicking, it’s not an easy lineup to navigate. But yeah, it was special to see.”
The bottom of the Mets’ lineup, though, has proved inconsistent, and predictably, how those four go dictates how the Mets go. To wit, the top four went 2-for-14 in Game 1 of the doubleheader and 3-for-13 in Game 2.
3. Hey now, you’re an All-Star
No, not you, Juan. After another strong performance in Game 1 of Thursday’s doubleheader, David Peterson was named as an All-Star replacement for Giants starter Robby Ray. Peterson finished the first half with a 3.06 ERA and has been the most consistent pitcher in the Mets’ rotation. He would have had a sub-3 if Ryne Stanek hadn’t allowed an inherited runner to score in the eighth inning of Game 1 on Thursday.
It’s a big achievement and the first All-Star nod for the big lefty, whose 2023 hip surgery has proved to be a turning point in his career.
“Excitement, emotion, but a little shocked, to be honest,” Peterson said of the honor. “I got a little caught off guard . . . It means a lot going from where I was before the surgery and getting that, coming back and being able to come back and play with these guys, and I couldn’t do it without any of them.”
That gives the Mets four All-Stars, though surprisingly — and to the chagrin of his teammates — Soto is not one of them. Or at least not unless another outfielder drops out. His omission marks the first full season he hasn’t been an All- Star since 2019.
Soto, for his part, remained sanguine. “It’s part of baseball,” he said. But would he have liked to go? “It’s a lot of money on the table if I make it.”
Laura Albanese is the Mets beat writer for Newsday. She's been covering MLB since 2014 after starting at Newsday as an intern seven years earlier.
