Mets understand harsh reality of situation after series win over Angels

For just the fourth time this season, the New York Mets earned a series win by taking two of three games from the woeful Los Angeles Angels (13-22) over the first weekend of May. 

That said, Mets players weren't taking many victory laps after they improved to 12-22 on the season via a 5-1 win at the Angels on Sunday. 

Mets know series win over the Angels has to be just the beginning

"The only thing it does is make our flight happier," Mets infielder Mark Vientos said after the victory, per John Flanigan of SNY. "That's about it. "We've got to win [Monday]."

The Mets open a three-game series at the Colorado Rockies (14-21) on Monday. First pitch for that contest was bumped up to 5:40 p.m. ET due to concerns related to the weather. 

Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns and big-spending team owner Steve Cohen clearly don't want to fire manager Carlos Mendoza this spring despite the club's poor record. That's somewhat understandable, as Mendoza can't be blamed for the fact that Juan Soto, Francisco Lindor, Jorge Polanco and others have missed time with injuries since Opening Day. Lindor will be out of action for the foreseeable future because of a calf issue.

"That's what it's going to take," Mendoza said about Sunday's win. "One series at a time, one game at a time."

Carlos Mendoza offers high praise for Clay Holmes after another stellar outing

As Robert Sanchez of SNY shared, Mets starter Clay Holmes produced another stellar outing when he allowed one run on four hits and three walks in Sunday's win. Holmes improved to 4-2 on the season, and he now has a 1.69 ERA and a 0.98 WHIP through seven starts. 

"It’s unbelievable," Mendoza said while speaking about Holmes. "We saw it again [Sunday]. That first inning was a battle after the first couple of guys get on, and he’s up to like 30-something pitches, [but] before you know it, he’s able to get to those middle innings. [He] kept making pitches and for him to go back out for the seventh, he’s just on another level right now physically, mentally."

Only time will tell if the first weekend of May will become the start of a meaningful turnaround for the 2026 Mets or will simply be something that New York fans forget about a few weeks down the road.