The first few months of the season had been good to Juan Soto.
Then June arrived, and his statistics took a hit. Through nine games this month, Soto is averaging .147 at the plate, with a .237 on-base percentage and a .265 slugging percentage.
But after he came up clutch in the Mets’ 5-4 win against the St. Louis Cardinals on Thursday, the hope is that it can spur both him and the team as they open a three-game series at home against the National League East-leading Atlanta Braves on Friday night.
Soto doubled in the fifth inning and scored to tie the game at 4 on Jared Young’s single. Soto delivered the go-ahead run in the seventh with a solo home run.
“That’s what we play for, that’s what we grind for — to get the tough situations and come through,” Soto said. “Sometimes, it gets a little harder, but that’s what we work for and that’s what we focus (on) — try to do damage every time.”
Before Thursday’s contest, Soto was just 3-for-30 over his previous eight games.
Getting his bat going is crucial for a Mets offense that has struggled to produce, especially with Francisco Lindor still sidelined because of a calf strain.
“There’s a sense of urgency from him all the time,” New York manager Carlos Mendoza said of Soto, who is batting .277 for the season, with 14 homers and 31 RBIs. “He wants to win. And he cares, obviously. But I wouldn’t call it pressure. This guy wants to be the biggest at-bat. He wants to be the guy.”
The Mets, who sit last in the NL East, are trying to get back into the mix.
Right-hander Nolan McLean (3-4, 3.98 ERA) will face the Braves for the second time in his career. He won his first career start against them last season, with two runs allowed on four hits in seven innings of a 12-7 victory.
The Braves, meanwhile, arrive in New York looking to get back on track after dropping the first two contests of a three-game set against the White Sox in Chicago. The series finale was scheduled for Thursday but was postponed until August because of rain.
Defeats have been few for Atlanta this season. The team has dropped consecutive games only four times and have lost three in a row just once (April 4-6).
In a 2-1 loss to the White Sox on Wednesday, the Braves were just 1-for-6 with runners in scoring position and left 10 men on base.
“We had opportunities,” Atlanta manager Walt Weiss said. “I think we hit some balls hard, but bottom line is we left 10 guys on base and didn’t get the big hit, so it’s tough to win scoring one.”
Offensive struggles have been rare for a Braves squad that is third in the majors with 92 home runs and 341 RBIs, and fourth with 593 hits.
Right-hander Spencer Strider (4-1, 4.00 ERA) will start for Atlanta on Friday. He bounced back from his lone loss by allowing three runs on five hits in five innings of a 6-3 win vs. the Pittsburgh Pirates last Saturday.
Strider is 6-2 with a 6.11 ERA in 11 career appearances (nine starts) against the Mets.
–Field Level Media
