Mets showcase ideal playoff plan with complete win over Padres
The Mets' Pete Alonso rounds the bases after his first-inning home run against the San Diego Padres at Citi Field on Thursday. Credit: Jim McIsaac
The Mets haven’t qualified for the playoffs yet. But in taking two of three from the October-bound Padres this week, they displayed the blueprint for crashing that party and doing some damage upon their arrival.
In Thursday’s series finale, it was Pete Alonso’s fourth homer in as many games, more timely hitting from Brandon Nimmo, who supplied the pivotal three-run blast, and a tidy effort from the pitching staff, spearheaded by resurgent rookie Jonah Tong that delivered the Mets’ 6-1 win at Citi Field.
Also, thanks to Tong’s impressive rebound (five innings, eight strikeouts) and Tuesday’s bullpen-saving Clay Holmes/ Sean Manaea piggyback gambit, manager Carlos Mendoza was able to script his relief strategy to perfection, giving him a rare, relatively stress-free, paint-by-numbers afternoon.
The Mets’ early 5-1 cushion gave Mendoza enough confidence to remove the cruising Tong after only 82 pitches — “making sure he finished on a positive note,” the manager said — then hand the ball off to his circle-of-trust relievers, in order: Tyler Rogers, Brooks Raley, Gregory Soto and, of course, Edwin Diaz.
Thursday was the Mets’ dream scenario, and the type of game we should have seen way more often from this $340 million team. But that’s why they’re clinging to such a fragile lead for the third wild card with only nine games remaining.
There is one positive, however. The Mets couldn’t have picked a better time to finally perform up to their potential. Better late than never.
“That’s what it takes to win in the playoffs,’ said Nimmo, who’s batting .439 (18-for-41) with runners in scoring position since Aug. 2, which is fifth-best in the majors during that stretch.
“I’ve said since the beginning of the year that it’s usually the hottest team at the end of the season that ends up winning the whole thing. And for us, that’s exactly what we have to do to make the playoffs and win in the playoffs — put together complete games.
“It’s very hard to outhit the other side in the playoffs. Everybody kinds of turns it up a notch. And so we’re going to need the pitching and the defense and everything to be on point in order for us to win games.”
Nimmo made sure to emphasize “the job’s not done” as far as getting to October. He didn’t want to give the impression he’s looking too far ahead. But after witnessing what the Mets did to the Padres, a talented team battle-tested by the ultra-competitive NL West, it’s easier to envision Mendoza & Co. not only securing that last postseason ticket but making some noise at the dance.
There was Francisco Lindor being his antagonistic best at the top of the order, scoring twice, and Juan Soto going 2-for-4 with a double and delivering his 100th RBI on a third-inning groundout.
After the Fab Four, the Mets’ lineup was virtually a non-factor (2-for-18), but even the much-maligned Cedric Mullins was able to chip in by leading off the third with a single and scoring on Soto’s bouncer.
It didn’t really matter what the supporting cast did Thursday. Once Tong wriggled free of some first-inning trouble, helped by more stupid baserunning from the Padres, Alonso set the tone by drilling a 445-foot rocket off Randy Vasquez (one of the four pitchers dealt by the Yankees in the Soto deal) with two outs in the bottom half.
That was No. 37 on the season for Alonso, and his 121 RBIs are the fourth-most in franchise history, trailing his own record (131, 2022), Mike Piazza (124, 1999) and David Wright (124, 2008).
“You always want to play your best baseball at the end of the year,” Alonso said. “And if we can continue to do that, it’s not about how you start, it’s not how things happen in the middle, it’s about how you finish.”
With Alonso on one of his power benders, the Mets are more than happy to climb on board while enjoying a front-row seat for the September fireworks.
“It’s fun to be Polar Pete and be able to hit the ball 500 feet and 115 mph,” Nimmo said. “He finds the barrel, and good things are going to happen. He’s been doing that a lot lately and we’re just glad he’s on our side.”
Tong certainly was grateful for it. The last time we saw him on the mound, he didn’t survive the first inning against the Rangers and later struggled to contain his disappointment on camera. But the promising rookie rallied Thursday, riding his fastball for seven of eight strikeouts and showing the poise that should keep him in the mix for the playoff roster.
Before Thursday’s game, Mendoza didn’t try to hide that Kodai Senga’s own potential October spot is very much in jeopardy — hardly a surprise, given that he was shipped to Syracuse — and Tong jumped at the opportunity. The Mets’ playoff rotation is very much up in the air, but in the meantime, Tong made sure to improve their odds of getting there.
“Everything’s on the table right now,” Mendoza said. “The meaning of every game, and moving around guys, and putting together the whole puzzle here, right? Today, we were watching. And I’m glad he stepped up and gave us a chance to win a baseball game.”
Playing this way, the Mets could win a lot more, for a while longer, too.
David Lennon is an award-winning columnist, a voter for baseball's Hall of Fame and has covered six no-hitters, including two perfect games.
