Mets complete historic scoring barrage not seen before in franchise history
09/19/2024 11:28 PM
The New York Mets entered the 2024 season without too many high expectations, which is understandable given how they fell flat on their faces last year. But the Mets seemingly thrive when they aren’t expected to compete. They have come alive in the second half of the season and have taken control of the third and final wild card spot in the NL — continuing their torrid run of play with an impressive 10-6 win over the Philadelphia Phillies on Thursday night.
Everyone in the Mets lineup is contributing; on Thursday, eight of their starting hitters either tallied a hit or reached base via walk — giving the team plenty of chances to score which they took. In scoring 10 runs on Thursday night, the Mets achieved history. It was the first time in the existence of the franchise that they scored 10 or more runs in three consecutive games, as pointed out by Sarah Langs of MLB.com.
Some may scoff when they take a look at two of the games in which the Mets scored 10 runs. Those two contests came against the Washington Nationals — not exactly a powerhouse ballclub. But New York showed that their offense doesn’t just turn up against teams in the bottom of the standings, they can also hit hard against the best team in the NL East.
Alas, the Phillies started Taijuan Walker on Thursday, and that has most often been a recipe for disaster for the NL East leaders. Walker entered tonight with an ERA of 6.29, so it was always likely for the Mets to run up the score against a struggling starter. That’s exactly what happened, with Walker allowing eight earned runs in 3.1 innings of work as the Mets built a 9-3 lead in the bottom of the fourth that they would not relinquish.
The next three games will provide the ultimate test for the Mets. This stretch could also make or break their playoff hopes even though they are in the driver’s seat at the moment. They will be facing three elite Phillies starters in Christopher Sanchez, Ranger Suarez, and Zack Wheeler, giving their red-hot offense three difficult hurdles to overcome. But the Mets have defied expectations all season long, so they aren’t in the business of stopping anytime soon.
Mets have been on fire since the All-Star break
The Mets have been outstanding since play resumed on July 19. They have gone 36-22 over the past two months — which is good for the fourth-best win rate in the MLB during that span, only behind the three powerhouses in the NL West. And it’s not as if their hitting has been doing the heavy lifting, although their hitters have indeed come alive as of late. They only rank eighth in the MLB in runs scored per game (4.74) since the All-Star break.
Their pitching has been incredible during this stretch as well. Having played 58 games since the All-Star break, they have allowed just 200 total runs for an average of 3.44 allowed per game. This is the second-best tally during this span, with the Mets’ pitching only performing worse than that of the surging Detroit Tigers, which is nothing to hang their heads over.
Averaging a run differential of around +1.3 is a recipe for success that lends credence to the idea that the Mets can indeed flourish in the playoffs thanks to their hitting-pitching balance.
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