Mets’ Bats a Problem in Houston

The Mets dropped their opening series of the 2025 season against the Astros, and while questions surrounded the pitching staff, the offense left much to be desired in each game. The Mets scored just a solitary run on Thursday and Saturday and only scored three times in their win on Friday.

Slow offensive starts can often be expected in baseball, with the cold March and April weather favoring pitchers early on. But with three games indoors in Daikin Park in Houston, that excuse can’t be used for the Mets.

New York was nearly shut out on Opening Day for just the second time in team history and the first since 1963. Only a Francisco Lindor sacrifice fly in the ninth inning prevented that. Game 1 ended unceremoniously with Juan Soto striking out as the go-ahead run.

The Mets put up three runs during the first third of Friday night’s ballgame but were kept quiet after. A Luis Torrens double in the eighth was the only hit from the fourth inning on.

The rubber game of the series on Saturday was the worst of the three for the bats, with the Mets getting one hit against Spencer Arrighetti and the best of the Astros bullpen.

The peripherals matched the play on the field for New York. The Mets had an xBA of .252, .235 and .158 in each game. They also struggled in the clutch, going a collective 2-for-21 with RISP in the three-game set.

Soto did his part, slashing .333/.538/.778 against the Astros, including his first home run in the orange and blue.

MAMA, THERE GOES THAT MAN!pic.twitter.com/WsrO78Iiy5

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Unfortunately, it was the batters around him, all with some serious pedigree, who either couldn’t hit Soto in or get on base for Soto when he did the damage himself.

Lindor, Pete Alonso, Mark Vientos and Brandon Nimmo hit a collective 4-for-42, a .095 batting average, against the Astros and were at the center of the series-defining moments that ultimately ended poorly for the Mets.

Lindor settled for his sac-fly with the bases loaded in the ninth down by three runs on Thursday and grounded out to end the eighth inning with a runner in scoring position on Saturday. Alonso popped out on the first pitch from Josh Hader after Soto worked out a walk to start the ninth inning on Saturday. Vientos came up with at least one runner on every at-bat on Thursday and couldn’t muster a hit, and then lined out to end the game (albeit at 107.8 mph) with the tying runner at second on Saturday. Nimmo had two chances on Thursday with multiple runners in scoring position but couldn’t score them.

Injuries in spring to Jeff McNeil and Francisco Alvarez were tough to see, but it has been and still is that batters one through five in the order that should be the Mets’ biggest strength in 2025. In their first series of the year, with the Mets rotation and bullpen doing more than their fair share, it was what cost them the most.

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