WASHINGTON -- For as tenuous as things looked at times this week at Nationals Park, the Mets managed to salvage a four-game series split. That was largely thanks to Bo Bichette, who drove home nine runs in the series, including both of New York’s runs in Thursday’s 2-1 win over the Nats.
That’s not to say all is copacetic in Queens. Although the Mets have clearly emerged from their early-season horror show, going 12-7 over the last three weeks, they still hold a better record than only three National League teams. That stretch has also seen them lose their most consistent starting pitcher to injury and forge forward without four-ninths of their Opening Day lineup. None of those players figure to return anytime soon.
Still, wins are wins, and the Mets will take what they can get. Behind Bichette’s two-run single in the third and five solid innings from David Peterson, the Mets maintained control of Thursday’s game throughout the afternoon. Over the final four innings, they leaned on their top four relievers -- Huascar Brazobán, Brooks Raley, Luke Weaver and Devin Williams -- to close things out.
“Coming out in the fifth and then seeing Brazobán behind me, that’s always a good sign, a good sight to see,” Peterson said. “And then we just rolled everyone out from there. Raley did a great job. Weaver did a great job. And Devin shut the door.”
Among the most prominent takeaways from the series were these:
Bichette is suddenly red-hot
As recently as Monday morning, Bichette held a .531 OPS and had produced -0.7 Wins Above Replacement, making him statistically one of the least productive players in Major League Baseball. Then he drove home nine runs over four games in Washington, compiling a third of his season RBI total in less than a week.
Asked about the difference, Bichette tends to refer to his swing as a constant work in progress.
“I don’t know if you ever find it,” he said. “I just got some pitches I can handle, and I hit them.”
Whatever the source of his renaissance, Bichette has clearly managed to make things click. That’s ultra important for a team that isn’t going to get Francisco Lindor, Luis Robert Jr., Francisco Alvarez or Jorge Polanco back anytime soon. Though others have picked up some slack in recent weeks, Bichette and Juan Soto are the focal points -- not to mention the most expensive hitters -- in this lineup.
If they both hit well, as they did this week in Washington, the Mets can be dangerous no matter who else is missing.
Williams has become automatic
Throughout last season and early this year, Williams routinely came set with his glove in a low position, close to his belt. His hope was that the glove position would prevent the sorts of pitch-tipping issues that had affected him at various points in his career (including, potentially, in the 2024 NL Wild Card Series against the Mets).
Problem was, Williams never found the new position comfortable, which played some role in his allowing eight earned runs over his first nine appearances. He responded by raising his glove position back toward his chest and since that time, Williams has been near-perfect, allowing just two hits -- one of them a fly ball that A.J. Ewing misplayed into a double on Thursday -- over 10 consecutive scoreless appearances.
This is the version of Williams the Mets thought they were getting when they signed him to a three-year, $51 million contract in December to replace Edwin Díaz. He has saved five of their 12 victories this month and earned the win in two others.
“I feel like I’m on a good streak here,” Williams said. “Just trying to keep it going.”
Rotation answers remain fluid
It hasn’t been a great run for New York’s starting pitchers since Clay Holmes fractured his fibula last Friday night. Since that time, Mets starters and bulk relievers have averaged 4 2/3 innings per game, leaving the aforementioned bullpen exposed to overuse. That included a solid start from Peterson on Thursday and a rare clunker from Nolan McLean earlier this week. It also included Zach Thornton’s Major League debut.
It remains unclear how the Mets intend to address this going forward. The fact that Thornton is still on the roster suggests he’ll receive another chance next week. The Mets may also give Jonah Tong a turn this weekend in Miami, mostly as a way to award their other starters an extra day of rest.
Things will look significantly rosier, however, if Peterson can keep pitching the way he has. After allowing seven runs to the Nationals in an April 29 defeat, Peterson has responded with a 2.50 ERA over four outings in May. He’s earned the win in three of them, including Thursday, when a diving stop by Mark Vientos preserved Peterson’s lead on his final pitch.
“I feel like I’ve kind of been there for a couple outings now,” Peterson said. “Continue to build off it, look at what we need to work on and move forward.”