Here are my takeaways from the Mets 4-3 loss to the Red Sox in Fort Myers on Monday…
Matt Harvey rebounded with a strong start.
He threw 59 pitches, used all of his pitches, and was throwing very hard. In other words, Harvey looked normal. He was throwing a lot of sliders today, all of which were reportedly in the upper 80s with sharp bite. He threw a ton of strikes, worked quickly, and put to bed any concerns from his previous start. His final line: 4 innings, three hits, three strikeouts.
Noah Syndergaard was up, and he was down.
Syndergaard got off to a good start, throwing a scoreless fifth inning with relative ease. However, he stumbled in the sixth inning and allowed Boston to claw back into the game with a couple of runs. His tempo slowed, didn’t mix it up particularly well, and therefore struggled to put out the fire once it started for him.
It would now make sense for the Mets to consider Noah for the Opening Day rotation, although I don’t see it happening. Going forward in camp, I’d like to see Noah soon get some starts to see if he can get into a routine and a rhythm right out of the gate, as that could help him remain comfortable and fluid during these appearances.
Consistency will be the greatest sign he is ready, and generally speaking, outside of a couple of hiccups this spring, all signs are still pointing upward for him.
Mets offense remains hot.
The Mets 1-5 in the order had eight of the nine hits recorded against the Red Sox today., two a piece from Juan Lagares, Michael Cuddyer, and John Mayberry. It’s always difficult to gauge anything from the results in spring training, and there’s no way to know if the Mets offense will carry into the regular season. But if anything, there are good signs from the hitters in terms of their approach, as they’re hitting the ball with authority the other way, limiting the strikeouts for the most part, and getting on-base with regularity.
Did we learn anything in today’s left-handed relief audition?
Dario Alvarez struck out Garin Cecchini – a left-handed batter – in the seventh inning. Alvarez had previously struggled against left-handed batters this spring, walking three and allowing three hits.
Sean Gilmartin allowed a run in 2/3 IP, allowing a well struck double to Blake Tekotte, a left-handed hitter. But, he struck out Bryan LaHair, also a left-handed hitter.
All-in-all, I’d say neither particularly distinguished themselves, although Alvarez’s showing was at least representative of what I’d expect from a qualified lefty reliever in that he came in, got the lefty he needed to out and was done. But, as I said, given his problems so far this spring, I need to see more.
Read Anthony DiComo’s full game recap on MLB.com.
Just Mets 