The New York Mets once again will attempt to show off the depth of their new-look lineup when they take the field against the host San Francisco Giants on Saturday night.
The Mets lost the opener of the four-game series on Thursday but won 10-3 on Friday night, largely without the services of star outfielder Juan Soto. He contributed a single during a two-run first inning before calling it a night due to tightness in his right calf after being forced out at home.
The nine-year veteran has been an ironman in his career, never playing in fewer than 150 games — except for his rookie season and the pandemic-shortened 2020 campaign. He appeared in all but two games last season and is listed as day-to-day.
The Mets inserted Tyrone Taylor into Soto’s spot in left field on Friday. He went 0-for-4 with a strikeout.
Having imported Luis Robert Jr. to play center field and promoted Carson Benge to man right this season, the Mets have another outfield option in Brett Baty, who started the Friday game at first base.
For one night, the Mets didn’t miss Soto’s power, with Francisco Alvarez launching two home runs and Marcus Semien one in a 15-hit attack. Newcomers Robert, Semien and Bo Bichette combined for seven hits, four runs and five RBIs.
They’re scheduled to take their cracks Saturday against Giants right-hander Landen Roupp (1-0, 0.00), who was solid in his season debut Monday on the road. He allowed the San Diego Padres just two hits and struck out seven in six innings to get the 3-2 road win.
The 27-year-old faced the Mets just once in the first two years of his career, a relief outing on April 24, 2024, in which he served up three runs in 1 1/3 innings. He did not figure into the decision of the 8-2 loss.
The Mets weren’t the only ones scrambling for a healthy body Friday. During pregame batting practice, it was announced that Giants first baseman Casey Schmitt would be unable to go because of back issues, so the call went out to outfielder Jerar Encarnacion to grab a first baseman’s glove and be ready to go.
Batting ninth, he went 1-for-3 with a double, but Giants manager Tony Vitello was most impressed by Encarnacion’s flawless effort in the field in just his fourth big-league game at the position.
“I thought he looked outstanding,” the rookie manager told reporters after the game. “There’s a lot of little things that pop up at that spot. You’re touching the ball a lot with a lot of quirky things around the bag. He was involved in some defensive plays and he handled them well.”
The Mets are expected to counter with right-hander Clay Holmes (1-0, 3.18), who limited the St. Louis Cardinals to two runs and four hits over 5 2/3 innings in a 4-2 road win on Monday.
The 33-year-old has gone 1-1 with a 5.29 ERA in 10 career appearances (two starts) against the Giants.
Holmes was happy with his first appearance of the season. He got nine ground-ball outs, despite a small case of the jitters.
“There was a little bit of excitement early on, it was the first game of the year,” Holmes said. “Some sinkers were a little bit up and I got in some longer counts there and kind of drove my pitch count up early, and I was able to just settle in.”
– Field Level Media
