Mets Notes: Hard hits but no luck, Starling Marte's brief 2025 fielding debut

The Mets pounded out 20 his on Sunday, tallying 10 in each game of Sunday’s doubleheader in St. Louis. But while the hits were numerous (as were the walks, 13 in total), the big, timely knock never came as they left 22 men on base and went 6-for-26 with runners in scoring position in a pair of one-run defeats.

“We hit a lot of balls hard,” manager Carlos Mendoza said after the Game 2 defeat. “Yeah, it’s frustrating, but it’s baseball, I guess. Didn’t go our way.”

The Cardinals, of course, also had 20 hits across the twin bill, and left 20 on base while going 5-for-17 with runners in scoring position. But the sweep eases any postgame agita.

To add to the Mets' frustration was the number of balls hit on the button that didn't result in hits, as they had just five hits (all singles) on 12 balls with exit velocities over 100 mph in Game 2. The other seven went for eight outs. 

“We had chances and hit balls hard, they just didn’t go our way,” Mendoza said. 

The notable hard-luck moments: Brandon Nimmo’s 107 mph lineout to right left the bases loaded in the fourth (.630 expected batting average). And Juan Soto getting a three-run home run pulled back by Cardinals center fielder Victor Scott earlier that same inning.

“I thought it was out,” Soto said of the 408-foot flyout. “Definitely hit it hard enough to go out.”

Before Scott's intervention, the ball would have been a homer in 13 of 30 big league parks, but not Citi Field. Soto just missed leaving the yard in the sixth when he took one the other way, but it was caught in the middle of the track for a 349-foot out. A dinger in seven parks, but not St. Louis.

“I think we did a really good job of getting guys on,” Soto said, “unfortunately, we couldn’t come through with the big base hit.”

“That’s how baseball goes sometimes,” Mendoza said. “It could be a little frustrating, but there’s nothing you could do about it. You gotta keep doing what we’re supposed to be doing, which is control the strike zone [and] hitting balls hard.

“Yes, we want to win series, we want to win games. WE gotta turn the page and be ready for a series in Arizona.” 

Starling Marte's (brief) right field debut

The only ball hit in Marte's direction during his four innings in right field landed well over his head in the Cardinals' bullpen for a two-run home run. So when he was removed from the second game of Sunday's doubleheader for the bottom of the fifth inning, there was concern.

But Mendoza said this was "part of the plan."

“He was only gonna go no more than five innings on defense after not playing since spring training,” he said. “We knew we wanted to get Soto off his feet and it was a good opportunity for Marte today, but he’s fine.”

While Marte in his first innings of the year in right field (with Soto serving as DH for the first time of the year) was a mere spectator, at the plate, he had two singles in his first two times up to bat, the second scoring a pair of runs in the Mets' four-run third. Marte also stole second base for his 357th career steal in the second inning.

He grounded out in his final at-bat to start the fifth to finish the day 2-for-3 with two RBI.

The club had been taking it slow with Marte throughout the year in an attempt to keep him fresh and healthy after he dealt with numerous injuries in his last three seasons.

The Mets lost Jesse Winker in Game 1 of the twin bill with a possible oblique injury. Winker, making his first start in left field of the year, apparently suffered the injury when he made a throw home in the bottom of the third.

Mendoza said after the Game 2 loss that Winker was returning to New York for additional testing and would likely land on the IL.

Edwin Diaz ends long layoff

The Mets didn’t have a chance for the closer to earn a save Sunday, but Mendoza still got Diaz into action in Game 2 to end a run of eight days of inaction for the right-hander.

Diaz surrendered a single on the first pitch he threw and a two-out double down the right field line, but kept the deficit at one run.

He threw 14 pitches to the five batters he faced, with a strikeout. He threw nine fastballs with an average velocity of 97.7 mph, which was 1.4 mph faster than his yearly average. His slider average velocity was also up 0.6 mph to 88.8. He had two whiffs and three called strikes.

Brett Baty toe update

Baty missed the last four games for Triple-A Syracuse as he’s dealing with a sore right big toe, Mendoza said.

“I was told he was going through his workouts [Saturday and Sunday],” Mendoza added. “We’ll see.”

Baty had two doubles and three RBI in his first game with Syracuse and has three hits in 10 at-bats with three strikeouts and a walk.