Kansas City, Missouri

The Mets may not have their star players heading to the All-Star Game, but they’re putting on a show of their own before the break.

Juan Soto continues to impress with a strong July following his standout June.

On Saturday, the Mets showcased Soto’s talent alongside a solid pitching effort, defeating the Royals 3-1 at Kaufman Stadium.

Soto’s second home run of the game—a 435-foot blast—came at a crucial time, helping the Mets secure the win.

Having been named the National League Player of the Month in June, Soto started the day with an impressive .995 OPS this month.

Yet, despite being named as an injury replacement for the National League roster, he won’t be participating in the All-Star Game in Atlanta on Tuesday.

There is, however, one last game before the break, and the Mets are aiming to complete a three-game sweep.

Shawn Mania is set to make his season debut, following Clay Holmes in a piggyback role.

On this day, the run prevention was taken care of by Frankie Montas, Reed Garrett, Chris Devensky, and Edwin Diaz, with Diaz closing out the final six outs for a save.

Montas performed well, giving up just one run over five innings, allowing four hits and striking out five while throwing 83 pitches.

His goal moving forward is to reach six innings, as his longest outing so far was 5 2/3 innings against the Yankees last weekend.

Soto hit a two-run homer in the fourth, giving the Mets an early 2-0 advantage.

Francisco Lindor kicked off the inning with a single and stole second before Soto connected on a full-count slider from Jonathan Bowlan, sending it deep to right field for his 23rd home run of the season.

Montas initially allowed a leadoff double to Jonathan India but then held the Royals to no further hits until a single from Vinny Pascantino in the fourth.

In the sixth, back-to-back doubles by Kyle Isbel and India brought the Royals within one run, at 2-1.

Garrett managed to neutralize India’s attempt at a steal and then retired the next three batters without yielding another run.

Devenski took over in the seventh, walking Salvador Perez but handling the situation well, even after Nick Lottin reached base.

Despite some challenges, the right-hander maintained the Mets’ 2-1 lead, and John Raeve made a play on Isbel, executing a fielder’s choice.

Diaz effectively retired six of the seven hitters he faced, bolstered by a successful challenge where Bobby Witt Jr. was initially ruled safe on a steal attempt.