The New York Mets are hotter than lava during an explosive six-game stretch in which their offense has produced three double-digit scoring outputs and the team’s first 20-hit effort since 2019.
The Mets will look for another productive night on Tuesday and attempt to stretch their winning streak to a season-best seven games when they face the Texas Rangers in the middle contest of a three-game series at Arlington, Texas.
New York was relentless with the bats in the series opener, producing 22 hits during a 14-2 steamrolling of the defending World Series champion Rangers. Brandon Nimmo and DJ Stewart each homered, but 17 of the hits were singles.
It was the first time the Mets have reached the 20-hit mark since logging 23 against the Atlanta Braves on Aug. 15, 2019. New York has outscored the opposition 45-16 during its winning streak.
“They say hitting is contagious, and you can see that right now,” Nimmo said after going 3-for-4 with four RBIs and two runs while notching his fourth straight multi-hit game.
“You try to ride that wave as long as you can knowing baseball is an up-and-down game. We have a lot of mature guys on this team, and they understand that.”
New York has rolled up 25 runs and 36 hits over the past two games, beginning with an 11-6 win over the San Diego Padres on Sunday.
Pete Alonso knocked in seven runs over the past two days, and he was one of five Mets with at least three hits on Monday. Francisco Lindor went 4-for-4 with three runs and two RBIs, while Francisco Alvarez and Mark Vientos added three hits apiece.
“It seems like no matter what the pitcher is throwing, you have that confidence, you feel good, you are ready to hit and you are ready to execute your plan,” Lindor said.
Texas, meanwhile, has dropped four straight games and nine of its past 13.
The Rangers’ potent offense is struggling, having managed just nine runs during the four-game slide.
The Texas pitching is also hurting, as the 14 runs surrendered on Monday were just the second-most allowed by the club over the past seven games. The Rangers lost 15-2 to the Los Angeles Dodgers on June 11.
“We’ll keep working. We’ll get this figured out,” Rangers manager Bruce Bochy said.
Texas stands a season-worst six games below .500 and is nine games behind the first-place Seattle Mariners in the American League West.
“This is what you have to deal with in this game,” Bochy said. “This game will humble you sometimes. It’s how you handle it. We will keep getting after it, that’s all you can do. You don’t have a choice.”
Right-hander Michael Lorenzen (4-3, 2.86 ERA) takes the ball on Tuesday for Texas. He has allowed two or fewer runs in each of his past six starts.
Lorenzen, 32, is 2-1 with a 1.46 ERA during the six-game stretch, with one of the victories coming Thursday against the Los Angeles Dodgers. He gave up one run and four hits over seven innings.
Lorenzen is 2-1 with a 2.29 ERA in 15 appearances (three starts) against the Mets. Starling Marte is 6-for-17 with a homer against Lorenzen, while Nimmo is just 1-for-10.
Right-hander Luis Severino (4-2, 3.12 ERA) is set to start for the Mets. He is unbeaten over his past eight starts and has allowed exactly one run in three of his last four outings.
He received a no-decision against the Miami Marlins on Thursday when he gave up one run and seven hits over six innings. Severino won his previous two starts, including an eight-inning, one-run outing against the Washington Nationals on June 5.
Severino, 30, is 2-2 with a 2.89 ERA in six appearances (five starts) against Texas. Corey Seager is hitless in seven at-bats against him.
