StroShow Shining on Center Stage
Marcus Stroman, Michael Conforto, Kevin Pillar lead Mets to Saturday night win; a lot of work still ahead
Image credit: Chris Simon
Hey, the New York Mets won a game on Saturday night!
In their 5-3 win over the Nationals at Citi Field, the Mets rode two solo homers from Kevin Pillar, a late pinch-hit three-run homer via Michael Conforto (his first oppo-taco of the season), and another strong outing from Marcus Stroman to their first victory since last Sunday in Los Angeles.
With their deficit in the division still a shudder-inducing seven-and-a-half games heading into their series finale against Washington on Sunday, things aren’t looking great for this team’s chances of reaching the postseason.
But, as noted this week and many times before, anything’s possible. Especially in this town.
The Mets will need to win a metric shit-ton of games over their last 33 to even come within arm’s reach of an actual race down the stretch. And that won’t happen without a substantial collapse out of Atlanta, either. Highly doubtful but we shall see. They’re the Miracle Mets for a reason.
Though, even without a playoff berth, a strong finish would certainly do this group well. Not just for team morale, but for some of the players who didn’t have the season they’d hoped for in 2021.
We’ve seen some of the most dramatic falloffs in production in recent memory this season between Conforto, Dominic Smith (.937 combined OPS in 2019 and 2020; .661 OPS in 2021), and Jeff McNeil (.319/.383/.501, 139 wRC+ heading into the season; .247/.320/.358, 92 wRC+ in 2021).
One guy who hasn’t experienced any dropoff of that sort is Marcus Stroman. In fact, the 30-year-old right-hander is putting together a career year. And, on an individual basis, everything coming together just as he readies for his initial foray into free agency is nothing short of precision timing.
After accepting the Mets’ $18.9 million qualifying offer this winter, essentially betting on himself after sitting out the entire 2020 campaign due to COVID concerns, the Duke University alum has pitched to a 2.85 ERA over his first 27 outings, good for 11th in the majors among qualified starters (just behind Gerrit Cole’s 2.80).
That wager appears to be well on its way to paying off. Handsomely. Where that road leads will be determined soon. But for now, there’s still work to accomplish.
The Mets’ starting rotation has, for all intents and purposes, been in shambles for most of the season. Injuries have plucked foundational pieces out of the equation on a regular basis. Carlos Carrasco’s hamstring tear, Noah Syndergaard’s setback, David Peterson, Joey Lucchesi, Jacob deGrom. Like clockwork.
Though, through everything, including Taijuan Walker’s brief downturn after garnering his first All-Star selection for a pristine first-half and Tylor Megill’s encouraging but natural process of adjustments, Stroman has been the steady beat keeping pace behind it all.
The Long Island product has allowed two earned runs or fewer in 20 of his 27 starts this season (only Los Angeles’ Walker Buehler and San Francisco’s Kevin Gausman have more; 21 each). Just a model of consistency.
Stroman’s 2.14 walks per nine innings are good for 18th in baseball, his 0.83 HR/9 are good for 10th, his 1.13 WHIP ranks 21st, and his 49.8% groundball rate is good for eighth in MLB despite that metric dropping from 52.3 percent in the first half to 44.7 percent in the second.
Continued effectiveness with an entirely different approach. Adapt or die, right?
After the Mets’ win on Saturday, one in which Stroman logged his 1,000th major league inning (congratulations), the right-hander spoke candidly about the water-shed moment.
“Honestly, [1,000 innings] was one of the biggest milestones that I’ve wanted to achieve,” he said. “It just shows a testament to consistency in my work ethic of staying out on the field and being someone who can go deep into games and someone my teammates can rely on. That’s a big accomplishment for me, one that I’ll definitely kind of relish a bit and one that I’ll definitely be proud of once my career is over.”
When asked about what he’s learned throughout his journey (h/t SNY’s Michelle Margaux), Stroman was quite poignant in his response.
“[I’ve learned] that you always need to adapt, that you always need to change, that you consistently need to outwork the next man, that you need to do everything in your power to improve your game,” he said. “Not weekly, not monthly — each and every day.”
As for keeping oneself moving forward despite bumps in the road — or in this team’s case, over mountains of external and self-inflicted adversity with an even taller task ahead of making an improbable run over the next five weeks — Stroman shared some of the perpetually positive vibes we’ve become accustomed to during his tenure in Flushing.
“I don’t think you can dwell on the past. I don’t think you can worry about losses yesterday. The second you do, it kinda ruins the moment and it doesn't allow you to work at your true potential and your true capability,” Stroman said. “So we don’t focus on any of the negative because there’s nothing positive that can come from [it].”
Onward and upward, indeed.
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