The New York Mets defeated the Washington Nationals 7-0 Thursday, completing a three-game sweep at home. With a 47-45 record, New York is now in the final Wild Card spot, the first time the team has been in playoff position since early May.

After a disastrous 0-5 start and a cataclysmically bad month of May, the Mets went on a wildly unexpected run in June, winning 16 of 24 games to catapult themselves back into playoff contention with the best offense in baseball. After a frustrating stretch in early July, the team is back to its winning ways and took care of business against a weaker Nationals team in three games this week.

Outfielder Brandon Nimmo continued his torrid hot streak Thursday, hitting a three-RBI double in the fifth inning to kickstart a five-run rally. Slugger J.D. Martinez had a great day as well, going 3-for-3 with one RBI, two runs and a walk.

On the mound, shaky Mets starter David Peterson escaped a first-inning jam but eventually settled down and threw six scoreless innings. The bullpen, which has been wildly erratic since Edwin Diaz’ 10-game suspension last month, survived a few scares but kept the Nationals in check through the final three frames. It was the Mets’ first shutout victory of the season. They were the last team in MLB to earn one.

After years of elite pitching and mediocre offense, the Mets have completely flipped the script in the 2024 season. Nimmo and Martinez, along with the likes of Francisco Lindor, Francisco Alvarez and Mark Vientos, have formed one of the most potent lineups in the game. Jose Iglesias and Luis Torrens have been revelatory additions to the roster and a credit to the team’s new front office leaders. Slugger Pete Alonso, ironically the team’s only All-Star, has not quite kept pace with many of his teammates but remains a centerpiece.

On the mound, however, New York’s pitching staff has not yet earned anyone’s trust. Reliever Adam Ottavino is a walking heart attack and hot hands Reed Garrett and Jake Diekman have lost form since encouraging starts to the season. Peterson is one of several spot starters that struggle to consistently go beyond five innings. Ace pitcher Kodai Senga has not yet returned from injury.

All is not lost, however. Luis Severino and Sean Manaea have both been consistent starters all season, and Jose Quintana has caught fire in recent starts as well. In the bullpen, Diaz has bounced back from a tough start, injury and suspension to regain some confidence as the team’s closer. Adrian Houser and Jose Butto, who both had failed stints as starters earlier in the season, have found new roles as long relievers.

After cutting bait on several massive contracts last season, New York was always going to be an imperfect team in 2024. That being said, with a tense Wild Card fight on their hands with the Padres and Cardinals, the Mets will likely be surprise buyers at the trade deadline. Importing pitching of any sort could transform this squad from a ‘team of the moment’ to a legitimate playoff contender if the bats can stay hot.

Opening day of Major League Baseball is just around the corner. That means it is time to take a look at each team’s prognosis heading into the 2021 season after the 2020 pandemic-shortened campaign.

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After winning the 2018 World Series, the Red Sox rapidly declined, in large part due to their pitching staff. Boston had an elite 3.71 ERA in 2018 when they were world champs. In 2019, they dipped to 19th in the league with a 4.70 ERA before finishing 28th last season with a terrible 5.58 ERA. Their poor pitching is the reason why the Red Sox finished dead-last in the AL East with a 24-36 record, one game behind the Baltimore Orioles. Boston has the offensive firepower to put up a ton of runs, however, things may not go so smoothly unless the Red Sox find a few hidden gems in their pitching staff.

Check out Boston’s projected starters.

Boston Red Sox Projected Batting Order:

1. OF Alex Verdugo
2. SS Xander Bogaerts
3. 3B Rafael Devers
4. OF J.D. Martinez
5. OF Franchy Cordero
6. OF Hunter Renfroe
7. 2B Enrique Hernandez
8. C Christian Vazquez
9. 1B Bobby Dalbec

Boston Red Sox Projected Pitching Staff:

• SP1 Eduardo Rodriguez
• SP2 Nathan Eovaldi
• SP3 Garrett Richards
• SP4 Tanner Houck
• SP5 Martin Perez
• CL Matt Barnes

Boston Red Sox Team Outlook:

The Red Sox have an offensive foundation with a winning core with the likes of third baseman Rafael Devers, outfielder J.D. Martinez, and shortstop Xander Bogaerts in the lineup. The additions of right fielder Hunter Renfroe, second baseman Enrique Hernandez, and utility man Marwin Gonzalez have only helped this offensive foundation grow stronger. However, the team’s pitching staff does not look as promising.

With Chris Sale out in 2021 recovering from Tommy John surgery, Boston has many questions to answer about their pitching staff. The Red Sox added right-hander Garrett Richards in early February. They also have right-handers Nathan Eovaldi and Eduardo Rodriguez, who have the talent that could help Boston win.

They also signed Matt Andriese, brought back Martin Perez, and picked up relievers Adam Ottavino and Hirokazu Sawamura. The bullpen lacks a defined closer as Matt Barnes did not secure the role with his 2020 performance. The team’s pickups will surely help the bullpen improve this season, giving them more outs to save games. From the looks of it, Boston will have streaky value in 2021 and will probably not contend in the season’s postseason.

Boston Red Sox Schedule:

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The Boston Red Sox have been on a hot streak this season, going 15-2 after thrashing the Los Angeles Angels 9-0 in Anaheim on Wednesday.

J.D. Martinez Comments On Red Sox Record

However, the Sox’s new outfielder J.D. Martinez — a former Detroit Tigers and Arizona Diamondbacks player — is cautioning against calling the team the best in Major League Baseball just yet.

“Yeah,” Martinez said, smiling. “I think it’s way too early for that. Come at me when it’s July, you know? That’s when you can start having those conversations.”

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The Red Sox, led by new manager Alex Cora, have won six straight games to be three games ahead of the second-place Toronto Blue Jays (12-5) and 6.5 games ahead of the third-place New York Yankees (8-8) in the AL East. Boston’s only two losses this year have been their season opener against the Tampa Bay Rays and a 10-7 loss to the Yankees at Fenway Park last week that included an all-out brawl after a hit-by-pitch. One player on each team, Tyler Austin and Joe Kelly, was suspended for the fight, and both players appealed their bans.

Cora’s squad also leads MLB in starting-pitcher ERA (1.91), run-differential (plus-60) and runs per game (6.35), according to ESPN.

The Red Sox defeated the Angels 10-1 on Tuesday, and three of their home runs came from Mookie Betts. 

“I’m in a good place,” Cora told ESPN of his team. “I know how good they are, but it’s just something about them that makes you feel confident, you know? You show up every day to work, you enjoy it. I’m having a blast with them, not only in the dugout but in the clubhouse. It’s fun. It’s fun to be around them. It’s a good group. We’ve grown together, we’re learning together, and we’re going to keep getting better.”

Cora was a bench coach last year for the defending national champion Houston Astros, who beat the Red Sox in the American League Division Series. Boston clinched their division after winning 93 games.

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The Red Sox will face the Angels in Los Angeles on Thursday at 10:07pm EST for the series finale. Left-hander Eduardo Rodriguez will start for Boston, while Nick Tropeano will take the mound for the home team.