3 Up, 3 Down: Mets Fail To Finish Off Reds

September is the time of year when contenders must develop a killer instinct. Sadly, that attribute evaded the New York Mets in their series against the Cincinnati Reds.

Despite winning the first two games, the Mets dropped the series finale on Sunday. As a result, their nine-game winning streak came to
an unceremonious end. More importantly, however, they are once again tied with the Braves for the final Wild Card spot in the National League.

You have to be ruthless this time of year. The Mets will have to hope their inability to finish off the Reds and complete the sweep doesn’t come back to bite them in a few weeks.

Anyway, on that note, let’s dive into another edition of 3 Up, 3 Down…

3 UP

GIVE HIM HIS FLOWERS

The Mets would be dead and buried now were it not for Francisco Lindor and his MVP heroics. But you can also make a compelling case that this team would not be where it is now were it not for the emergence of Mark Vientos. We all know the story by now. Ignored and effectively thrown into the garbage at the start of the year, Vientos has done nothing but rake since being recalled to the Majors. He’s established himself as the guy at third base, possibly the successor to David Wright we’ve been waiting for, while coming up with big hit after big hit. He was huge against the Reds, too.

Vientos’ weekend started with a pair of home runs on Friday, including a walk-off two-run blast in extras. He followed that up by getting on base on Saturday and Sunday with two walks. But, make no mistake: Vientos’ power surge on Friday set the tone for the weekend and provided yet more memorable scenes at Citi Field. More importantly, the 24-year-old has proven that he belongs in the Majors.

GREAT RELIEF 

Reed Garrett is coming up big for the Mets when it matters the most. The righty reliever was stellar all weekend, striking out three and not allowing a run or a hit in 1.1 innings on Friday. Then, on Sunday, Garrett recorded another three strikeouts on his way to retiring all four batters he faced. As a result, the reliever hasn’t given up a single run or hit in his last six outings, striking out nine hitters in that span. Now, that’s pretty good.

STARTING EXCELLENCE

The Mets got to enjoy two stellar starts in the Reds series. José Quintana was first up. The veteran delivered arguably his best start of the year on Saturday. He tossed 6.2 scoreless innings with five hits, two walks and six strikeouts. It also proved a significant and special day as Quintana recorded the 100th win of his MLB career – the first Colombian-born pitcher to accomplish the feat. Then, on Sunday, Luis Severino continued his resurgence with another dominant outing. The righty allowed just one run on five hits with two walks and eight strikeouts in 6.2 innings. If the Mets are to punch their postseason ticket, more starts like these from Severino and Quintana will be a must down the stretch.

3 DOWN 

MAN DOWN

It wasn’t all rainbows and marshmallows for the Mets this weekend. No, the team was dealt some crushing news on the injury front. Jeff McNeil, who suffered a right wrist contusion in Friday’s game, was placed on the IL with a wrist fracture. He will miss the rest of the regular season. Now, while McNeil could return later in the postseason, the fact he will miss the most crucial stretch of the season is a body blow. McNeil was hitting .289/.376/.547/923 since the All-Star break. He will be a big loss. And let’s hope McNeil has something to come back to.

RARE MISTAKE

Phil Maton has delivered for the Mets since being acquired from the Rays before the trade deadline. However, his first real bad game in a Mets uniform couldn’t have come at a worse time. The righty gave up a pair of runs in the ninth inning on Sunday, allowing a game-winning double from Santiago Espinal. As a result, the team dropped a crucial game, allowing the Braves to pull back even with the Mets for the final Wild Card spot in the NL.

LETTING OFF THE GAS

Maton wasn’t entirely responsible for the loss on Sunday. The offense also played a big role in a frustrating day. The top five hitters in the Mets lineup went a combined 0-for-16 with three walks and five strikeouts. The Mets managed just four hits all day and couldn’t get a rally going at any point. Plus, they went 1-for-6 with RISP and left seven runners stranded on base. Again, you have to develop a killer instinct this time of year. The sweep was right there for the taking, but the Mets couldn’t take advantage.

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