Inspiring and Winning Baseball from Mets Again

Image Credit: Bill Menzel/Latino Sports

FLUSHING, NY — What’s going on here as my late mentor and icon NY sports journalist Dick Young always said. The New York Mets have become an exciting baseball team. The San Diego Padres are in a tight mix for a NL Wild Card spot.

However, Monday evening at Citi Field, the Padres had difficulty getting on base with runners nailed at the plate from two Mets rookie outfielders and lost 2-1. It’s not supposed to be that way with San Diego’s potent and resurged offense, then again the Mets are competing as if they are vying for playoff position.

It’s baseball, a long season. The Dog Days of August leading to the stretch run in September and that means scoreboard watching from the stands, dugouts, and pressbox. Even with a majority of sub .500 mediocre American League teams, the stretch becomes nerve wrecking for the manager and players.

But the Mets are suddenly a winning team, winning their eighth straight one-run game, as their bullpen over their last 13 games has compiled a 2.60 ERA—fourth best in the majors.

They are playing inspiring and good baseball on timely hits and respectable starting pitching.

All of this after MLB’s August 3rd trade deadline and prior to that, relieving Carlos Mendoza and replacing him with interim manager Andy Green. And President of Baseball Operations David Stearns went with the rookies, so he must be doing something right after trading 11 veterans and restocking the prospects of a depleted minor league system. 

“I think he’s (Green) done a great job here,” Stearns said when addressing the media prior to the Mets’ fourth straight win. “It helps that he had familiarity with some of those players that have come through our system.”

He referred to the defense of rookie Carson Benge, who was instrumental in the win over the Padres Monday. He gave an affirmation that the new Mets closer is former starter Kodai Senga who threw a scoreless inning out of the ‘pen to earn his first career save this past weekend against the Nationals. The Mets actually swept that three-game series, a surprise to many. 

Basically, the kids are propelling the Mets and allowing room to forget about a disastrous April, May, June, and July. August has been different (10-3) over their last 13 games. You say turn back the clock? The Mets were expected to play inspiring baseball and if the previous months were different, this would be their push towards that September stretch. 

Instead and as fans talk about making a run to October which would be heroic, it’s playing out the string and making something interesting to attend Citi Field. Building to next season that is if there is a 2027 with an impending lockout and labor dispute with owners and players.

Interesting to witness this resurgence with Benge, the right fielder and rookie outfielder A.J. Ewing, moving around the diamond. A healthy 27-year-old Juan Soto, a three-time LatinoMVP, with his huge contract and the Mets’ young outfield will be a discussion in the years to come.

And as San Diego learned not to run on Benge and that arm, in the first inning two Padres tried to score and were nailed at the plate from second base after four straight hits off rookie starter Nolan McLean. Back-to-back perfect throws to catcher Francisco Álvarez. 

An inning later Ewing, stationed in left, recorded another out at home plate.

The Mets’ three outfield assists Monday marked the first time for the franchise in a game since meeting with the Red Sox on July 23, 2023 at Fenway Park. Stearns made points of run differential and all the offseason moves did not make a difference. Though Monday night and the past few weeks, it has worked.

“He is a special athlete,” Green said about Benge who has nine assists, fourth in the Majors. “He is really confident. He really feels good about it.”

It had the Padres stunned. Something that basically took them out of the ballgame. A top executive with the Padres said prior to the game that inquiries were sent to the Mets regarding Benge and Ewing prior to the trade deadline. The Mets would not budge and that’s a blessing towards their future because an outfield of Soto, Ewing, and Benge looks promising.

“I just looked up and threw the ball,” Benge said about the outfield assists. “I am not worried if they are running or not. I feel like anytime anyone makes a good throw to end an inning or have a quicker out, it shifts the momentum in our favor.”

“We had three chances to score and they got us for every single one,” Padres manager Craig Stammen said. “Our mentality is to be aggressive on the basepaths, make the other team make a play. Tonight, they made the plays.”

The Padres postgame clubhouse was quiet with Fernado Tatis Jr. sitting quietly and staring at his phone while Manny Machado failed to make a cameo.

San Diego will be looking to even the series Tuesday evening with better results because they need to keep pace with the Phillies and Diamondbacks in that NL Wild Card hunt.

The Mets though will continue to look at the rookies, perhaps September call ups of those Stearns got in return at the deadline. The roster has a different complexion at Citi Field and baseball has become exciting and interesting at the moment.

Rich Mancuso is a senior writer and columnist at LatinoSports.com with coverage of MLB, boxing, and MLS – X:@Ring786, Facebook.com/Rich Mancuso

Follow us on Social Media for updates and exclusive content

Instagram: @latinosportsoficial

Facebook: Latino Sports

Twitter: @latinosports

TikTok: @latino.sports