Juan Soto's Gone for 2-3 Weeks and the Mets Just Won Three Straight Without Him

The New York Mets lost their best player to a right calf strain in the first inning Friday night against San Francisco, and then something weird happened: they went nuclear. The Mets have scored 23 runs and rattled off three straight wins since Juan Soto went down running from first to third on a Bo Bichette single. Now they have to figure out how to keep that rolling while Soto rehabs for the next two to three weeks.

Soto landed on the 10-day injured list Monday, retroactive to Saturday. This is his first stint on the IL since April 2021, when he was with the Washington Nationals nursing a strained left shoulder. The Mets were 3-4 when he went down. Since then, they have not looked like a team missing their star.

The Bench Saved Them

After falling to 3-4, the Mets cranked a 10-3 win Friday and then obliterated San Francisco 9-0 on Saturday. Tyrone Taylor delivered a pinch-hit three-run homer in place of Jared Young, who took over in left field. Young then went 3-for-3 on Sunday while patrolling the outfield, and backup catcher Luis Torrens slapped a go-ahead two-run double in the eighth to seal a 5-2 victory over the Giants.

Torrens was pressed into action because Brett Baty got scratched with a jammed left thumb. Mets manager Carlos Mendoza was not sweating it. "We have got good players up and down," he said. "We're dealing with a few guys that have injuries and we're feeling really good, not only with the guys that are in the lineup who are getting to play more but on the bench as well. There's a lot of versatility."

Arizona Wants Revenge

The Mets open a three-game series Tuesday afternoon against the Arizona Diamondbacks. Freddy Peralta (1-0, 4.35 ERA) goes for New York against Zac Gallen (1-1, 3.60 ERA). The first two games are moving from 7:10 p.m. to 4:10 p.m. because of cold and windy weather expected in New York.

The Diamondbacks finished their first homestand 5-2 after surviving a wild weekend against Atlanta. They got blasted 19-2 across losses Thursday and Friday, then bounced back with a 2-1 win Saturday and a 6-5 extra-inning thriller Sunday when Ketel Marte laced a walk-off RBI double in the 10th. Arizona's pitching kept them in it, surrendering just two runs over 9 and a third innings over the last two games.

Peralta is 4-0 with a 1.35 ERA in six career games against Arizona. Gallen sits 2-2 with a 3.07 ERA in nine starts against the Mets. First pitch Tuesday afternoon.

This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.