The New York Mets are truly limping into a three-game weekend set against the Houston Astros, sitting at a brutal 60-74 record after getting absolutely smacked around by the Brewers at home. This team is reeling, and frankly, it’s tough to watch right now.
Total Meltdown on the Mound
Let’s just be real, the Brewers series was a complete gut punch. Sure, they snagged Game 1 with a 3-2 walk-off error in the tenth inning. But even that only happened because Francisco Lindor pulled off a spectacular diving play in the top of the ninth to save two runs after Austin Warren totally squandered their 2-1 lead. After that? It was a full-blown collapse.
The Mets lost the final two games by a combined score of 16-3. Wednesday was an 8-1 beatdown, and the finale was an ugly 8-2 loss. They just had no answers for Jacob Misiorowski, who looked like a legitimate NL Cy Young winner out there. Their starting pitching, which had actually been strong lately, completely crumbled under pressure. Robert Stock got shelled for seven earned runs. That’s the second time this year he’s given up at least seven earned runs in an outing! Sean Manaea also got tagged for six earned runs in his effort. This is a critical moment for both guys. Manaea is still fighting for a spot in next year’s rotation, with one year left on his three-year, $75 million deal. But Stock? This could seriously be the end of the road for him with the Mets. We’ll likely see them looking to the farm for his replacement, with Jonah Tong and Jack Wenninger performing pretty admirably lately after some struggles earlier in the year. Tong, especially, has bounced back strong, allowing just two earned runs with 15 strikeouts over 14 1/3 innings in his last three starts.
Soto’s About to Light It Up Again
Amidst all that frustration, there’s a genuine spark of hope on the horizon: Juan Soto is making moves towards coming back! This week, he was seen taking multiple rounds of batting practice and getting reps out in left field. You know what Soto brings to the table when he’s healthy. Before that calf injury on July 24, he was absolutely tearing it up, slashing .283/.408/.539 with a 158 wRC+ and 2.8 fWAR in just 84 games played. He’s had two separate IL stints this year, which has definitely muted his impact and kept him from replicating his monster 40-home run campaign from last year. He’s sitting at 21 homers right now. The Mets might be out of the race, but watching Soto play is one of the pure joys left for fans. Getting him back will do wonders for the team’s watchability in September.
Now, they’ve got the Houston Astros rolling into town for a three-game weekend set. These two teams have some recent history, with the Astros taking two of three back in 2025 at their home ballpark to kick off the season. They also won two of three at Citi Field in June 2024. Can the Mets find any kind of spark against a familiar foe? Will Soto’s return light a fire, or is it just more of the same? We’re all watching to see if they can finish this homestand with anything to feel good about.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Amazin’ Avenue.
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