The key for the Mets over the next month will be out-hitting their own starting pitching inefficiencies.
Good thing they have Juan Soto.
A monster game by Juan Soto helped the Mets to a 10-8 win over the Detroit Tigers on Monday afternoon, with the slugger driving in six runs on his own. The Mets (74-64) beat the team with the best record in baseball despite only getting 3 2/3 innings from left-hander Sean Manaea, and now hold a four-game lead over the Cincinnati Reds (70-68) in the NL Wild Card standings.
They couldn’t have done it without Juan Soto’s production. The right fielder went 2-for-3 with a grand slam, a two-run triple and two walks. Jeff McNeil went 2-for-4 with a double, and catcher Luis Torrens had a three-hit day with two RBI. It was a back-and-forth battle at Comerica Park until the Mets roared louder than the Tigers (80-59).
Down 3-2 in the top of the fourth, right-hander Charlie Morton threw a 1-2 curveball right over the plate to Juan Soto. He turned on it, driving it 412 feet to right-center field for his 36th home run of the season, and his first of the month of September. It was a momentous grand slam, coming where it did and when it did. With the state of the starting rotation, the Mets have to hit. They dropped three of four to the Miami Marlins at home over the weekend due to ineffective starting pitching and sloppy defense, wasting run production.
But the bullpen made it count on Labor Day, doing plenty of labor themselves. After Juan Soto’s grand slam gave the Mets a 6-3 lead, Manaea nearly gave away in the bottom of the inning. A one-out RBI triple by Zach McKinstry made it 6-4, and a two-out single by Jahmani Jones scored McKinstry. After Gleyber Torres extended the inning, the Mets went to the bullpen for left-hander Gregory Soto. He did his job by getting Wenceel Perez out, but that meant the Mets had to mix and match to get through the rest of the game.
The Tigers had to empty their bullpen out as well, with Morton exiting after Juan Soto’s grand slam. Even the best teams have to rely on their relief corps, but few teams have struggled to get length out of their starters like the Mets.
A year ago, Manaea dropped his arm slot and found more ride on his fastball. The lefty anchored a rotation during the final, frantic month of the 2024 regular season, helping to stabilize the Mets during the stretch run. Now, the Mets might not even be able to put him on a postseason roster.
The upcoming pitching plans may need to be reconfigured, especially if they decide not to bring up right-hander Brandon Sproat from Triple-A. They’ll get a much-needed off-day Thursday to rest their arms, the end of a 16-game stretch.
In the bottom of the fifth, a wild pitch by struggling reliever Ryne Stanek (3-6) scored the tying run. Stanek had just entered the game for Gregory Soto, who left with one out and runners on the corners. The right-hander shut the door after that, giving Juan Soto a chance to retake the lead for the Mets with his triple off Drew Sommers in the top of the next inning. The Mets scored three times in that inning, pushing the game out of reach.
From there, the bullpen bent, but didn’t break, in part because Edwin Diaz was able to get four outs for his 25th save. The Mets have had to rely on him more than just about any other pitcher on the roster over the last month, and they’ll continue to do so in September.
