Baby Steps for the Mets
ANAHEIM, Calif. — The Mets are currently navigating a bit of a rough patch. Their batting lineup is still facing numerous challenges, but winning a series is no small feat for such a young team. So, the weekend in Orange County deserves a cautious celebration.
On Sunday, Mark Vientos showcased his strength with two home runs, contributing to a 5-1 victory over the Angels. This marks just their second series win since April 5th, breaking the monotony of losses.
Prior to the game, the Mets placed Ronnie Mauricio on injured reserve due to a broken left thumb. Unfortunately, he joins fellow teammates Francisco Lindor, Jorge Polanco, Luis Robert Jr., and Jared Young on the sidelines.
Vientos’ second home run, a two-run shot in the eighth inning, provided some much-needed cushion for the bullpen. Luke Weaver stepped in, pitching 1⅓ scoreless innings, while Brooks Lally closed the game, sealing it without any save opportunities.
Clay Holmes had a stellar outing, going 6⅓ innings, allowing just four hits, three walks, and striking out six, which brought his earned run average down to 1.69. Impressively, he’s held opponents to two or fewer earned runs in all seven starts this season, and he’s managed to pitch at least six innings in his last three outings.
Holmes started his day by issuing a walk to Zach Neto after 11 pitches and then another walk to Mike Trout, leading to an RBI from Jorge Soler. However, he limited the damage by forcing Joe Adell into a ground out and closing the inning with a double play.
In the second inning, Vaughn Grissom walked, but Holmes responded by grounding out Oswaldo Peraza, who had previously scored against the Mets, resulting in a double play to end the inning.
During the third inning, a notable play occurred when Juan Soto’s grounder got caught in first baseman Nolan Chanuel’s webbing while the pitcher, Jack Kochanowicz, attempted to cover the bases. Chanuel cleverly flipped his glove, forcing an out. Earlier in the first inning, Brett Batty struck out, leaving two runners stranded on base.
In the fourth inning, Vientos hit a two-run homer that propelled the Mets ahead 2-1. With Benji on base, Vientos blasted a 427-foot shot to left-center, marking his first notable performance since April 18 at Wrigley Field.
Holmes was in command, retiring six consecutive batters, although he did allow a single to Sebastian Rivero in the fifth. Nevertheless, he managed to force Zach Neto into a ground out, wrapping up the inning.
In the sixth, MJ Melendez made an impressive catch on Soler’s drive, keeping him at first base. Holmes continued to shine by retiring Adell to end the inning.
As the seventh inning unfolded, Vientos had a slip-up, failing to throw to first on Bichette’s one-hop throw, but Holmes was able to escape unscathed after being replaced by Weaver, who struck out pinch hitter Yoan Moncada.
In the eighth inning, Benji hit an RBI homer, extending the Mets’ lead to 3-1 after Batty was hit by a pitch. Vientos followed suit with his second home run of the day.
In the final inning, Benji made a standout defensive play, robbing Grissom of an extra-base hit along the right field foul line. He had an impressive game overall, reaching base three times and performing exceptionally well on defense.
