How the Mets Can Turn Things Around During Homestand

Nolan McLean has been one of the lone bright spots for the Mets this season, pitching to a 2.28 ERA and racking up 28 strikeouts in 23.2 innings pitched across his first four starts. McLean has already proven to be one of the league's most exciting young pitchers with ace-level stuff, but his start on Tuesday night will be one of his biggest tests yet.

What separates a good pitcher from a great one is how he can perform when his team needs him most and being a stopper during a long losing streak. McLean is tasked with doing just that against Minnesota, who have not been so friendly to some of the league's best arms thus far. The Twins lineup roughed up reigning AL Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal and his teammate Framber Valdez before eviscerating another AL Cy Young hopeful in Garrett Crochet to the tune of 10 earned runs in just 1.2 innings.

But coming off of being swept by Cincinnati, the Twins will be looking to get back on the right track too. If McLean can deliver a shutdown performance, the Mets will be in a great position to earn a series win and take a collective sigh of relief with Clay Holmes and Kodai Senga set to follow. After that, New York has Freddy Peralta for the series opener against Colorado with McLean available for the finale. Bookending this series with quality starts from the two anchors of the rotation will be an essential piece of this much-needed turnaround.

Veterans Leading the Way

Outside of MJ Melendez, the Mets have not seen production from any part of their lineup. While brutal slumps from Brett Baty, Mark Vientos, and Carson Benge have hurt, a good team should be able to stay afloat despite streaky hitting from young players. Rather, the more concerning development during the losing streak has been the lack of production from established veteran bats.

Francisco Lindor (.205), Bo Bichette (.217), Marcus Semien (.234), and Luis Robert Jr. (.257) have to get their bats going if the Mets are going to have success over the next week. In the absence of Juan Soto and Jorge Polanco, the onus falls on the players with years of big-league experience to carry the load and jumpstart the offense.

With Minnesota and Colorado coming to town, the Mets will see some favorable pitching matchups with RHP Simeon Woods Richardson (0-3, 6.10), RHP Michael Lorenzen (1-2, 7.48), and LHP Jose Quintana (0-1, 5.63) all scheduled to throw. It won't all be easy as they will also face Joe Ryan on Thursday, even more reason why it's crucial they jump on the opportunity to win the first two games and build some momentum.

Juan Soto's Return

Underneath the Mets' struggles has been the loss of the massive presence that is Juan Soto. Outside of his incredible slugging ability, Soto is a leader in the clubhouse that players gravitate toward. Before straining his calf on April 3rd, the team was 4-4 and he was slashing .355/.412/.516 with a home run and two doubles. Since, they have gone 3-11.

But Soto is now eligible to return from the IL and has progressed well through his rehab, beginning a running progression on April 14th and returning to outfield drills on April 17th. According to both Carlos Mendoza and David Stearns, the Mets expect to have the superstar back in the lineup "at some point" during this homestand.

The latest official update came on the 17th when Newsday's Laura Albanese reported that Soto will undergo a supplemental MRI to ensure everything looks good before he is activated, but all signs continue to point to his return this week. If Soto can pick up where he left off at the start of the year and the Mets can take advantage of these other key factors, they could have the perfect recipe for a quick turnaround despite the disastrous start.

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