Following a series loss to the San Francisco Giants, the Mets flew back to Queens to welcome the St. Louis Cardinals for a three-game series.
The Cardinals took game one 4-2 courtesy of a three-run home run from Alec Burleson.
Francisco Lindor came to the plate in the bottom of the ninth of game two as the winning run but popped out as the Mets ultimately couldn’t overcome a four-run first-inning deficit, falling 7-4.
The blue and orange would avoid the sweep as they came back twice, including a one-run deficit in the eleventh inning, as Mark Vientos hit a 404-foot home run to center field to walk it off and secure a 4-2 victory.
Here are three notes from the Mets sweep of the Pirates.
Mets receiver instant impact from Mark Vientos
After being a surprise call-up on Saturday following Starling Marte needing to go on the bereavement list, Mark Vientos made an immediate impact.
Vientos had a single in the bottom of the ninth on Saturday to continue the Mets’ rally attempt before going 2-for-2 on Sunday, including the aforementioned walk-off home run.
The 24-year-old has quickly made an impact, and if he continues to hit the cover off the baseball, the blue and orange will have no choice but to keep him on the roster once Marte returns.
José Quintana does something no other Met has done this year
It took 27 games, but a Mets starting pitcher finally threw a pitch in the sixth inning. In fact, José Quintana took that a few steps further.
The Mets 2024 opening day starter went eight strong innings on Sunday, allowing just three hits and one run while walking a batter and striking out three.
The blue and orange desperately need length out of their starting rotation, as their bullpen’s usage rate is near the top in all of baseball. If Quintana can consistently throw into the sixth inning, the Mets will be in good shape every fifth day.
J.D. Martinez has a solid debut
After a couple of setbacks, J.D. Martinez finally made his Mets debut this past weekend.
The six-time all-star notched a hit in his first at-bat before ultimately finishing the weekend 3-for-9 with an RBI double.
Martinez will still need some time to get reacclimated to the major league schedule and pitching, but his tenure in a Mets uniform is off to a promising start.