ANAHEIM, Calif. — In his debut week as the Mets’ starting shortstop, Ronnie Mauricio had his fair share of strikeouts, but he also made some notable moves. In his first at-bat against the Angels on Friday, he grounded into a double play, but the Mets persist with him, largely due to his impressive power.
This was clearly visible when he launched a game-tying home run in the seventh inning, which helped the Mets snap a two-game losing streak and secure a 4-3 victory.
On a day when President of Baseball Operations David Stearns emphasized his collaboration with manager Carlos Mendoza to right the team’s course, the Mets managed to overcome a three-run deficit in the sixth and clinched the game with Mauricio’s strong hit in the seventh.
Mauricio connected with Jose Fermin’s 1-1 fastball, sending it away at 111.3 mph for his first home run of the season. Just last week, Mauricio was placed in the starting position after Francisco Lindor was sidelined due to a strained left calf, expected to keep him out for a considerable period.
Starting the day with a batting average of .192/.192/.192, he had struck out 10 times in 26 at-bats.
The Mets’ bullpen stepped up to maintain the lead. Brooks Lally pitched a scoreless seventh, while Luke Weaver rebounded from a prior failed save with a flawless eighth inning. Devin Williams closed the game, securing the last three outs and ending a frustrating six-game road losing streak.
Scott delivered a solid performance in his season debut last week, going five innings with three hits and three runs—only one of which was earned—while striking out eight. However, he was tossed after 74 pitches, missing a chance to face the Angels’ batting order a third time. Earlier, he had demonstrated control issues against the Twins and was ejected after walking five batters within just over an inning.
In the first inning, Scott allowed a high sweeper that Jorge Soler smacked for a two-run homer, putting the Mets in an early predicament. Earlier in the inning, Mike Trout had managed a single, setting the stage for Soler’s powerful hit.
Zach Neto added to the scoreboard after getting hit by Scott, moving to second on a stolen base attempt, and trying to steal third but Francisco Alvarez’s throw went wild, allowing the Angels their third run.
In the fourth inning, with two outs and bases loaded against Wolbert Urena, Marcus Semien ended the momentum with a fly ball out to right field. Bo Bichette singled, and Juan Soto and Brett Batty both walked. However, MJ Melendez and Alvarez failed to bring Bichette home from scoring position.
Urena’s day ended in the sixth inning when he was struck in the leg by a line drive from Bichette, causing him to falter physically. Brent Suter took the mound next and allowed singles from Soto and Alvarez, with Alvarez pulling the Mets closer at 3-1. Then, with two outs, Semien hit a two-run homer to level the score.
Scott began to find his rhythm in the mid-innings. He hit Neto in the third but then struck out nine consecutive batters, only allowing the Mets to avoid using the bullpen too soon.
