State of the Mets: What's next after emotional series split to Braves
· Yahoo Sports
ATLANTA — Neither of the Mets' two victories came easy in Atlanta, but the Mets were elated to be on the right side of a comeback on Monday.
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Those have been rare for the Mets the last two seasons. They entered Monday having won exactly one game in 113 tries when trailing after eight innings over the last two seasons.
That is what made a 7-6 victory over the Braves in 10 innings at Truist Park that doubly satisfying. Juan Soto put the Mets ahead in the ninth with a three-run home run and the Mets took one on the chin when Matt Olson equalized with a two-run home run off Devin Williams in the bottom of the frame.
But Luis Torrens knocked a two-out, two-run double in the 10th and Luke Weaver conceded one unearned run but nothing more to lock down the win.
"Guys were fighting. Guys were locked in in the dugout the entire time," Andy Green said. "Took us a while to finally draw blood there in the ninth and score some more runs, but guys were locked in the whole time so that's a fun one."
In a season largely void of enjoyment, a second straight nail-biting win, after the Mets held on for a 10-9 triumph on Sunday, helps lighten the mood on the way home for a six games before the All-Star break.
"Every day is a new day. We can't focus on what has happened," Soto said. "It's been a tough season, definitely, but we go to take the positive stuff. Definitely today was a really good, positive day, so definitely we take it and we learn from it and we keep moving forward."
Here is what's going on with the Mets and what to watch in the week ahead:
Luke Weaver, Bo Bichette are dialed in
Weaver has not had to deal with much adversity through a dominant stretch. He had only given up one hit and issued one walk in 11 appearances in June.
That meant the automatic runner on second base in the 10th inning was relatively unfamiliar territory. With the Mets leading 7-5, Weaver gave up a one-out RBI double to Michael Harris II. After striking out Ozzie Albies, Weaver intentionally walked Olson and gave up a free pass to Jorge Mateo, but buckled down and induced a ground ball to end the game.
Weaver has now gone 24 straight games and 26 consecutive innings without giving up an earned run.
"He's a pro," Green said. "I don't believe that run goes on his ledger, so we're still in a good spot in that regard, talking about streaks, so I hope he keeps streaking for a long time."
Amid the heroics by Soto and Torrens, Bo Bichette added another multi-hit performance in the win. It was his third game in July with at least two hits as he's 8-for-20 in the month. Bichette is coming off a .321/.342/.541 slash line in June.
"He's been a perennial All-Star type player and you expect that over the course of a season, those guys tend to find their way and their numbers tend to be their numbers," Green said before the game. "Unsurprised that he found his groove and got going. I know he personally would have loved to find it the first week of the season, but I don't think baseball is always like that."
What is next for Kodai Senga after improved performance?
The Mets have not announced a starter for Tuesday's series opener against the Royals, but Kodai Senga could be expected to be featured prominently.
That is especially true after Green was forced to use six relievers over 5⅓ innings behind Freddy Peralta on Monday. Williams, Raley and Weaver were all used on consecutive days Sunday and Monday.
Green has been encouraged by what he has seen from Senga over his last two outings in an unfamiliar bullpen. The right-hander has combined to give up three earned runs - all crossing on two home runs - while striking out eight across 7⅔ combined innings against the Phillies and Braves.
"I realize there's a couple home runs but he's been great. He's thrown the ball really well," Green said. "The (four-seam) and the fork have been really good for him and he's attacked hitters. I think we're encouraged.
"He's got an unbelievable pedigree of being one of the better starters in Major League Baseball, so would love to see him continue to move back to being great."
How close is Jorge Polanco to returning?
Jorge Polanco continues to trend in the right direction after a long road back from Achilles tendinitis.
Polanco, who played in his fifth rehab game on Sunday, connected on his second home run in his second rehab stint. He is expected to largely factor in the designated hitter position when he returns.
Green said that Polanco will not need to play in back-to-back games in the minor leagues to return to the big league club.
"I think he's the type of guy that if he is seeing the ball and he's hitting it well and he feels like he's recovering whether his back-to-backs come in the big leagues or they come down there, they're gonna come at some point in time," Green said. "Regardless of what he comes back playing, he's going to need some rest days in there."
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: State of the Mets: What's next after emotional series split to Braves