Quick Hitters
The biggest Mets takeaway: the Mets left opening weekend at 2-1, but Sunday’s 4-3 extra-inning loss to Pittsburgh put a spotlight on two things fast, bullpen leverage and late-game judgment. Richard Lovelady gave up the go-ahead damage in the 10th, Francisco Lindor was thrown out trying to score the tying run on Juan Soto’s double, and a very winnable game slipped right out of their hands.
What actually changed: Nolan McLean was better than the final headline. He struck out eight over five innings after a rough start, while the offense punched out 16 times and went just 2-for-10 with runners in scoring position. That combo is basically baseball’s version of leaving your wallet on the roof of the car.
Must-know bullets
- The Mets won the opening series over Pittsburgh, 2-1, and begin a three-game set in St. Louis tonight.
- Luis Robert Jr. has been the early tone-setter, entering Monday hitting .455 with 1 homer and 5 RBI.
- Monday’s pitching matchup is Clay Holmes vs. Kyle Leahy. Holmes makes his season debut, while Leahy is coming off a season in which he made just one start in 62 appearances.
- The Mets sit third in the NL East at 2-1, one game behind the 3-0 Marlins and tied in record with Atlanta and Washington.
Mets In The News Today
The clean version is this: the Mets did a lot right this weekend, but Sunday reminded everyone that good teams still have to close the damn door. McLean flashed real swing-and-miss stuff, Soto drove in two, Lindor tripled and scored, and the Mets still lost because the offense piled up strikeouts and the bullpen spot in the 10th turned into a problem.
The conversation today is going to orbit two decisions. First, using Lovelady there, after he had already worked the previous day, when other leverage arms were unavailable. Second, sending Lindor home from first with no outs and the middle of the lineup looming behind him. Carlos Mendoza and Lindor backed the aggression, but this is the kind of play fans replay in their heads all day while pretending to answer emails.
There was also one under-the-radar positive. The Mets are heading into St. Louis with Holmes set for his season debut, followed by Kodai Senga in Game 2, and early coverage is already flagging Bo Bichette’s bat and Senga’s return as two major things to watch in this series. That matters, because after Sunday, the best cure is usually to go win the next damn game.
Mets Box Score (Last Game)
Sunday’s final was Pirates 4, Mets 3 in 10 innings. Pittsburgh scored in the 1st, 3rd, and then twice in the 10th. The Mets answered in the 2nd, 5th, and 10th, but left the tying run dead at the plate and the winning run still imaginary. Soto had 2 hits and 2 RBI, Lindor went 2-for-4 with a triple, McLean punched out 8, and the Mets struck out 16 times as a club.
Mets Watch
MLB and YouTube both have the game highlights live now, including the official Mets highlights clip and the condensed game
What’s Next
The Mets open a three-game road set in St. Louis tonight, then stay on the road for a Thursday stop in San Francisco. The likely immediate rotation path is Holmes on Monday and Senga on Tuesday.
Mets Matchup
Tonight is Holmes against Leahy at Busch Stadium. Holmes makes his season debut for the Mets, while Leahy is a converted bullpen type who made only one start in 62 appearances last year. ESPN’s matchup page also shows the Mets entering the night with a .245 team average, 18 runs, and 3 homers through their first three games, while the Cardinals sit at .292, 22 runs, and 5 homers.
A Trip Around Major League Baseball
Opening weekend gave us chaos right on schedule. The Marlins walked off the Rockies again and opened 3-0, the Nationals took their series from the Cubs behind a stupid-hot Joey Wiemer, the Braves dropped their finale to Kansas City, and the Phillies lost their series to Texas after an 8-3 defeat. Translation: the NL East already looks annoying.
Outside the division, Milwaukee swept the White Sox, Toronto swept the A’s, and the Dodgers also opened 3-0. It is March 30, so nobody gets a crown yet, but some fan bases are already acting like they invented baseball. Nature is healing.
NL East News & Notes
Miami is on top of the division at 3-0 after a sweep of Colorado capped by a walk-off two-run homer from rookie Owen Caissie. Washington is also off to a better-than-expected 2-1 start, with Joey Wiemer reaching base in his first eight plate appearances for the club. Atlanta won its opening series despite Sunday’s loss, while Philadelphia sits last after dropping two of three to Texas.
For the Mets, the division message is simple. Yes, it is absurdly early. No, you still do not get to hand away close losses in a division that already looks like it might stay crowded. Sunday stung because those are the games that sit in your chest in September.
Around The Minors
Right now, Syracuse is the only Mets affiliate fully rolling. The Syracuse Mets beat Worcester 10-8 on Sunday to move to 2-1, with Ji Hwan Bae delivering the big late blow. Binghamton and Brooklyn both open on April 3, while the lower levels begin later. So for today, the farm report is basically Syracuse and a bunch of guys still waiting for the curtain to go up.
Mets History Today
March 30 has some good Mets weirdness baked into it. In 1985, Gary Carter hit a 10th-inning walk-off homer in his Mets debut against the Cardinals, the first step in what became a 98-win season. On March 30, 2000, the Mets beat the Cubs 5-1 in the Tokyo Dome behind Benny Agbayani’s pinch-hit grand slam in the 11th. Mets history really does have a thing for dramatic entrances.
Stats You Should Know
The Mets are 2-1 with 18 runs scored and a .349 team OBP through three games, so this is not some “the offense is dead” situation. The better read is more annoying and more useful: they are getting on base, but Sunday showed how quickly strikeouts and missed leverage choices can waste that.
Luis Robert Jr. is the early headline with the club lead in average, home runs, and RBI. Soto also delivered 2 hits and 2 RBI in Sunday’s loss, and Lindor was right in the middle of traffic again. On the mound, McLean’s 8-strikeout debut is the kind of thing you do not ignore just because the final result was irritating.
Why this matters for Mets fans
Because Sunday was not just a loss. It was a clean little stress test. The Mets showed they have enough offense to create pressure, enough young arm talent to be interesting, and enough bullpen questions to make you talk to the television like it owes you money. They are still in a good early spot at 2-1, but the next step is obvious now: turn decent process into cleaner finishes before these one-run headaches start stacking up.
