It took a few innings, but after a late start by the offense the Mets wound up pushing across eight runs on 11 hits to shut out the Athletics on Sunday and take the series in Sacramento.
Kodai Senga was superb over seven scoreless innings while New York got contributions up and down the lineup after managing just one run and five hits the day before.
Surprisingly, Juan Soto and Pete Alonso combined to go 0-for-7 while the biggest bat turned out to be Luis Torrens. Pegged to be the backup catcher this season after joining the Mets last year and used in a similar role, Torrens has been inserted to the starting job to begin the season with Francisco Alvarez on the IL.
Not known as the biggest offensive threat — although he does have some pop — Torrens has made the most out of his opportunity so far and had a 3-for-4 day with a double and two RBI to raise his batting average to .333 in 30 at-bats. The 28-year-old got off to a similarly hot start when New York called his number last season, too.
“His ability to use the whole field, especially with runners in scoring position,” manager Carlos Mendoza said about what he likes the most out of Torrens’ offense. “He’s not afraid to go the other way. He can impact the baseball and pull it when he wants to, but I think he’s just gonna give you a good at-bat overall.
“Knowing the situation, having the ability to slow the game down, but I think it’s just coming down to getting good pitches and thinking small and using the whole field.”
Facing Luis Severino, who pitched for the Mets last season and who Torrens knew even before from their time in the Yankees organization, the veteran catcher had two hits and a walk against the right-hander, including an RBI single in the sixth inning that broke a scoreless tie.
So, did catching Severino help Torrens at the plate? After all, the rest of the Mets went 2-for-19 against him.
“Probably a little bit, but not much,” Torrens said. “I know the type of competitor he is and that’s why in the box I just want to be ready for his fastball since that’s what he uses the most.”
Regardless, Torrens is proving to be a valuable asset for New York, both at the plate and behind it.
Brett Baty gets his first ribeye
It has not been a good start to the season for Baty who is now getting his fourth shot at sticking in the majors. However, making his first start at his natural position of third base on Sunday, the 25-year-old made two sparkling plays to start a double play in consecutive innings to help Senga maneuver out of early trouble.
While Baty’s defense has never been a problem (he’s even begun to look more comfortable at second base), his offense has left plenty to be desired. And after going 0-for-4 with two strikeouts in his first four at-bats, it appeared the youngster was on his way to yet another disappointing performance at the plate.
However, he managed to salvage his day with an RBI triple in the ninth inning — his first career triple. The hit also gave Baty his first RBI of the season before coming around to score the game’s final run and his first run scored in 2025.
“That’s what you want to see,” Mendoza said. “You want him to have fun, to continue to play the game and continue to contribute to help us win games. That [double] play was huge… For him to get the triple, it’s just good to see him having some good results here. He’s a good player.”
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