The New York Mets played one of their best all-around games Thursday. Griffin Canning dominated the St. Louis Cardinals in his best outing of the season, handing the baton off to the stifling bullpen. The relief corps shut the door in the 4-1 win. Francisco Lindor, Mark Vientos, and Brett Baty played key roles in the hitting attack.
Could the Mets build off this? They need to continue the momentum after back-to-back losses Tuesday and Wednesday to the Minnesota Twins, where sloppy fielding and terrible clutch hitting ruled the day.
David Peterson, after several inconsistent campaigns, broke out in 2024. He finished the year at 10-3 with a 2.90 earned run average and became a vital contributor to New York’s playoff run.
He has carried his performance into 2025, allowing the Mets an opportunity to win each time out. He even fought through an illness against the Toronto Blue Jays on April 6th, keeping New York in the game, enabling them to win 2-1.
The Mets looked to Peterson to take the handoff from Canning’s stellar start. He held his own, going 5 1/3 innings, allowing seven hits, three runs, zero walks, and striking out nine. His outing helped open the door for Lindor’s late-game dramatics.
Peterson is striking out batters at a healthy rate, fanning 26 in 22 innings, an excellent 10.6 ratio. He is known as a finesse pitcher who must locate his stuff to do well. Adding the component of putting hitters away means he isn’t as reliant on excellent fielding to stay in the game. This is the next advancement in his career.
New York’s bullpen, filled with dynamic arms, has been magnificent. The relief corps has a 2.10 ERA, third best, and has been asked to go four to five innings daily. Yesterday proved no different. Peterson left in the 6th with the Cardinals up 3-2 and a base runner on second. Max Kranick responded by inducing a popup and getting a strikeout.
Kranick has been a revelation. He dominated Spring Training and has continued his eye-opening performance into the season. He is 1-0 with a 1.35 ERA and has continuously stranded inherited runners. His pitching arsenal is exceptional, proving he can be a closer in the future.
Ryan Stanek, a force down the stretch last season, has been lights out this year. He has pitched 7 1/3 innings, allowing three hits, three walks, and striking out nine. Yesterday proved no exception in the 8th. He quickly shut St. Louis down, on a pop-up, strikeout, and fly out.
Huscar Brazoban, a trade deadline pickup last season, has been another critical contributor. Like Stanek, he can close when Edwin Diaz needs a day off. He filled that role yesterday, coming in the 9th with the Mets up 4-3. He allowed a lead-off HR but rebounded by striking out the side. Lindor took it from there.
Lindor endured a difficult series in Minnesota. He made his fourth error in 17 games Tuesday, opening the door to two unearned runs. He struck out while representing the tying run in the 9th. On Wednesday, he was part of a caravan of Mets bats who flailed away in clutch spots in the 4-3 defeat.
Lindor turned it around Thursday with a heads-up play while caught in a rundown. He avoided the tag long enough, allowing Baty and Tyrone Taylor to score. Those runs gave New York an early lead, which Canning and the bullpen made stand up.
Lindor hoped to continue his momentum Friday. It didn’t look good as he went hitless in his first four at-bats, leaving a base runner on third in the 5th. The Mets dealt with a blown lead in the top of the 9th. A repeat of Wednesday’s extra-inning heartbreak looked likely.
Lindor has had a difficult year at the plate, batting average hovering in the low .200’s and slugging percentage in the low .300’s. Slow starts have been his trademark, but he desperately needed a big moment. Last night, he got it with a dramatic leadoff HR to clinch the game!
The Mets have had some encouraging signs against the Cardinals. Lindor has rebounded well from the difficult Minnesota series. The bullpen continues to amaze and has an emerging star in Kranick. Vientos, after going homerless to start the season, has hit one in each of the last two games.
Vientos’s performance is a game-changer for New York. His emergence last year turned the Mets’ offense from decent to excellent. They are anticipated to have one of the best lineups, but they need him to perform. He looks to be waking up in time to help create an elite top of the order.
New York is now 13-7 and in first place. Lindor is usually a slow starter, so an excellent extended stretch is coming. The Mets will get injured players like Jeff McNeil and Francisco Alvarez back soon, likely this week. They have endured much in the early season, building tremendous character. Intangibles drove the storybook ending last year and will play a vital role this season.
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