The incessant chatter and debates about Juan Soto’s comfort level with the Mets didn’t receive much air time on Wednesday. In fact, the superstar slugger silenced his foolish critics the old-fashioned way, simply by doing what he’s always done best.
As if the signs of a breakout at the plate weren’t already present, Soto flaunted clutch power in the Mets’ rubber game against the Arizona Diamondbacks, smashing a pair of solo home runs that proved to be the difference in a 7-1 win at Chase Field. It was the 25th multi-homer game of his already-illustrious career.
Soto’s first homer of the afternoon broke a scoreless tie in the sixth inning, and it was a no-doubter. He turned on a knee-high 1-1 fastball, driving it 427 feet over the uniquely tall center field wall for his sixth of the season. More damage was inflicted in the eighth, as he sat on a cutter up in the zone and drilled it just beyond the left field wall to bump the Mets’ lead to 4-0.
The two blasts were befitting of Soto — he has a knack for moonshots and opposite-field lasers — and one couldn’t help but notice the high exit velocities on both hits. Those still questioning his confidence should look at the latest numbers. Soto’s hitting .346 over the last seven games. So, how’s that for comfort?
“I’ve been seeing the ball well, just trying to make hard contact everywhere I go,” Soto told SNY’s Steve Gelbs after the win. “Right now, I feel pretty good. What I’ve been working on is going the right way. We still have a long way to go, but I think we’re going the same way. Trying to make sure I be on time and make good decisions at the plate.”
Soto now has 10 multi-hit games this season, and while his overall season average of .261 is still well below his standard, he’s finally being rewarded for the disciplined approach that helped make him the league’s highest-paid player. Mets manager Carlos Mendoza doesn’t believe Soto is nearing a hot streak — he feels he’s already in the midst of one.
“I think he’s been like that for a week now, 10 days or so. First at-bat, he hits one right at the center fielder, 110 [mph],” Mendoza said. “He continues to control the strike zone. What, maybe two weeks now he continues to have really good at-bats, day in and day out… It doesn’t matter if it’s against a righty or lefty… He’s a special hitter, man.”
Senga avoids trouble with “quick fixes”
Kodai Senga didn’t seem equipped to stretch out beyond six innings of work and give the bullpen some getaway-day rest. He walked five of the first 10 batters he faced — this hadn’t been done by a Mets starter since 2013 — and a tight strike zone from the home plate umpire didn’t mix well with his patent lack of command from the get-go.
But with some help from his teammates, Senga worked out of three different jams in the first three innings, and ultimately settled down to complete six scoreless innings and lower his ERA to an eye-popping 1.16. It was the right-hander’s third quality start of the season but arguably his most impressive, considering the early struggles.
“Those first three innings were rough. I didn’t have anything,” Senga said, via his translator. “Out of experience, I know when certain things aren’t going certain ways, I have quick fixes for that. I was able to find [mechanical changes] to get me through the game…. I just have certain patterns that I have tendencies of going into, and I was able to find that one pattern and fix it throughout the game.”
The defense behind Senga kept the game scoreless before Soto’s bat finally broke the ice. In the first, catcher Luis Torrens gunned down Diamondbacks star Corbin Carroll on an attempt to steal second, and one inning later, center fielder Tyrone Taylor and shortstop Francisco Lindor pulled off a flawless relay to nail Eugenio Suarez at home on an Alek Thomas double.
Arizona looked poised to finally break out in the third when Senga walked the first two batters. But an inadequate bunt attempt from Geraldo Perdomo allowed Torrens to throw down to Brett Baty at third for the forceout, and then Pavin Smith grounded into a 4-6-3 double play to end the threat. Senga went on to face the minimum in the fourth and fifth innings and completed six frames with 89 pitches.
“After each start, during each start, I’ve been able to find certain objectives I need to hit, or things I need to fix,” Senga said. “If I can, one by one, hit those marks, I think this year’s going to be a successful year.”
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