After losing seven straight games and looking bad in the process, the Mets needed a game like Saturday night against the Philadelphia Phillies — one that they won, 11-4, on the strength of their lineup which blasted seven homers and totaled 15 hits.
At the center of the convincing win were Brandon Nimmo and Juan Soto who each hit two home runs and went a combined 6-for-9. In fact, the top four hitters in New York's lineup all had multi-hit games, totaling 10 hits and driving in nine runs.
"You know that at some point those guys are gonna come through and today we saw it, especially from the top of our lineup," manager Carlos Mendoza said after the game. "It was a pretty impressive showing there from a lot of our guys. Hit some bombs. Quality at-bats, especially early on with two strikes. Those guys kept battling and finally got a pitch and were able to drive the ball out of the ballpark. So, overall, a good game for us offensively."
All told, the Mets' seven home runs (all solo shots) tied a MLB-record for the most solo homers hit in a single game.
The offensive onslaught also came on the heels of New York struggling mightily at the plate, scoring just 16 runs during its seven-game slide. And although it was a great night for the Mets, the goal is to keep it going starting on Sunday night as they look to win the series against the Phillies.
"We haven’t finished anything so we gotta get back on track tomorrow, try to do the same thing and move forward," Soto said. "Whatever happens in the past is in the past… We’re gonna face a really good team tomorrow and we just gotta come back tomorrow and try to beat them again."
For his part, even when the Mets were losing, Soto has begun to come around offensively after a rough first two months to begin his tenure in Queens. In June, the right fielder has slashed .338/.500/.708 with seven home runs and 14 RBI.
It was only a matter of time for the All-Star to pick it up, especially considering his hard-hit rate and other underlying numbers. Now, the Mets are seeing the fruits of his labor come to fruition.
"I’ve been feeling good since Day 1, things just haven’t been going my way but finally I’m getting some luck and we’re just going from there," Soto said.
As for the team as whole, it's easy to forget but before losing seven in a row New York was playing like one of the best teams in baseball and is once again tied for first place in the division.
"It happens man. You’re gonna go through it, but we know we’re good," Mendoza said. "We know we got good players and it’s part of the grind of 162 and we’ve been in situations like this before. I think every team has. You just have to be consistent. Me as the manager, as the leader, keep coaching these guys, keep pushing them… It was good to get that one and we got a long way to go."
Nimmo echoed his skipper's thoughts.
"You can’t let what was going on for seven games derail what you were doing for two and a half months," he said. "There are definitely things to work on during that time to be better at, but that’s even the case when you’re winning – you can find little things to be better at."
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