Juan Soto powers Mets to victory in Detroit even though their pitching still stinks

Back when the Mets had a competent pitching staff, their series opener against the Detroit Tigers would have been just about over when Juan Soto hit a grand slam off of Charlie Morton in the top of the fourth inning. Not only was the blast cathartic because Soto had yet to hit a home run this season that delivered more than two RBI, but it also turned a 3-2 deficit into a 6-3 Mets lead.

Unfortunately, the Mets no longer have a competent pitching staff, so fans had to watch that three-run lead evaporate over the span of just two innings. Zach McKinstry tripled home Dillon Dingler in the bottom of the fourth before being driven in on Jahmai Jones’ two-out RBI single. Detroit tied the game in the fifth when Ryne Stanek uncorked a wild pitch after coming in to relief Gregory Soto, who allowed two of the inning’s first three batters to hit singles.

It’s not very fun to watch your baseball team when it feels like no lead is safe. Even the most electric rallies can prove meaningless when they’re so easily countered. Fortunately, Juan Soto’s next big hit would put the Mets up for good. It wasn’t hit as hard as the grand slam, but Soto’s ground ball down the right field line in the sixth inning was good enough to score Luis Torrens and Francisco Lindor and put the Mets back up by two. Even better was that Brandon Nimmo followed up with an RBI single and the Mets finally got a shutdown inning when Tyler Rogers held the Tigers off the board in the bottom of the frame.

The Mets manufactured a run in the seventh when Jeff McNeil reached on an error by Gleyber Torres and then was replaced by Luisangel Acuna, who stole second base, moved to third on Luis Torrens’ bunt, and scored on an RBI ground out by Brett Baty. Could we finally relax now that the Mets had built their biggest lead of the day at 10-6? No, because Carlos Mendoza still trusts Ryan Helsley, and that meant that Riley Greene was doubling to lead off the bottom of the seventh and scoring on another big hit by McKinstry.

Brooks Raley would also allow a run to score following a leadoff double in the eighth before Edwin Diaz finally stopped the scoring by recording the final four outs of the game in order. It is going to be an exhausting month of September if the Mets are going to allow at least five runs in every game like they have for the last five days. This juggernaut offense led by a suddenly hot and clutch Soto can only do so much.

Sean Manaea and Koda Senga can’t stay in the rotation if they can’t make it through five innings. We’ve seen guys like Brandon Waddell and Justin Hagenman do a better job this season. This 10-game road trip that will eventually take the Mets through Cincinnati and Philadelphia is off to a good start, but it will not stay that way if the pitching doesn’t improve very quickly.

0
0

0 Comments