Mets Return Home in Search of Offense

Juan Soto hasn’t homered in two weeks. After winning National League Player of the Month in March/April, Pete Alonso is slashing .221/.265/.364 in May. Brandon Nimmo is in an 0-for-16 funk.

The Mets (30-20) return to Citi Field on Friday night to start a nine-game homestand with the Los Angeles Dodgers while coming off a 2-4 road trip. Add in getting shutout by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the final game of their prior homestand, and it’s five out of seven defeats for the club. New York scored two runs or fewer in each of those losses.

To beat the Dodgers, it will likely take more from the offense that is ranked No. 29 out of 30 MLB teams in OPS (.562) over the last seven days.

Brett Baty went 2-for-4 with three RBIs in a 5-1 victory over the Boston Red Sox on Wednesday, and is one of the team’s hottest hitters with four home runs and a .937 OPS in his last 12 games.

“There’s something about the way he’s carrying himself on and off the field, in the clubhouse, the way he prepares,” manager Carlos Mendoza said Wednesday. “And even when he’s 0-for, you could see the way he’s playing defense. That’s what you want to see out of everyone, especially your young players.”

The Mets would love to see some of the other youngsters get going. Francisco Alvarez is 5-for-29 (.480 OPS) in his last 10 games, Mark Vientos has one home run and a .648 OPS this month, and Luisangel Acuña is 5-for-28 in his last 10. Acuña, who leads the team with 10 steals, last swiped a base on May 9. Like the old saying goes, “you can’t steal first.”

But home has been sweet home, where New York is an MLB-best 17-5. They are also fifth in attendance, averaging 36,795 fans per game, so expect huge crowds this weekend for the world champions, who lead MLB in road attendance.

The schedule gets softer after the Dodgers leave town, with a pair of series against the last place Chicago White Sox (15-35) and MLB-worst Rockies (8-42). Colorado has the worst team ERA in baseball at 5.82, a sight for sore batters’ eyes.

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