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Ask anyone on the Mets about Mark Vientos and his sluggish performance to start the 2025 season, and they'll tell you it's only a matter of time until what we saw last year shows up again.

“His job is to try to go out there and control the strike zone and hit the ball hard," Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said before Thursday's game against the Cardinals. "And he’s done that, he’s just not getting the results.”

"He’s been having good at-bats the entire year, it just hasn’t gone his way," Francisco Lindor said Thursday. "If he stays through the process, continues to have good at-bats, he’s going to have a successful year. He’s a really good hitter. He’s taking the right pitches, He’s swinging at the right pitches. It’s just a matter of time for him."

That time may be now, after Vientos ended a home run drought that lasted 77 consecutive at-bats in the Mets' 4-1 win over the Cardinals on Thursday.

In the second inning, Vientos launched a 90.4 mph fastball from Andre Pallante the opposite way over the right field wall. The ball was 100.1 mph off the bat but only went 338 feet -- the third-shortest traditional home run at CitiField since 2016 -- but it was enough to not only give the Mets an early 1-0 lead but also allow the 25-year-old to exhale. He pumped his fist rounding first base and let out a yell, and then another as he crossed home plate.

"It’s a good feeling for sure," Vientos said after the game. "Trying to stay positive, have good at-bats. It’s easy to stay positive when your team is winning. That’s always a good thing."

Yes, the Mets (12-7) are winning despite the lack of offensive contributions from Vientos but they were winning a lot last season because of the young infielder. His 27 homers -- in just 111 games -- helped the Mets overcome their slow start and make the playoffs, while his five homers in the postseason were integral to the team's run to the NLCS.

He entered Thursday with just a .210 slugging after slugging .516 a year ago. But as Mendoza said, the hard contact was there -- Vientos' xSLG is .336 -- the third baseman was just a bit unlucky in the early going. That fact has helped Vientos overcome this slow start, and he and the team hope it leads to a breakout.

"I’ve been liking the hard-hit contact that I’ve been having, and walking," Vientos said. "If you stick to the process and just do that over and over again every single day you’re playing, and have good at-bats, they are eventually going to go your way."

"With Vientos, we’ve seen that the whole year, we’ve just haven’t seen the results," Mendoza said of Vientos' home run. "He keeps hitting the ball hard."

The home run was Vientos' lone hit on Thursday, but it should go a long way for the slugger to reach his goals. Lindor, the Mets' de facto captain and mentor to Vientos, is confident the youngster will get to where he needs to get to.

"He has to stay the course," Lindor said. "By the end of the year, hopefully, he’s going to hit 30, 40 home runs. Whatever his goals are, I’m sure he’s going to achieve them."

The New York Rangers completed their season on Thursday night with a 4-0 victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning, but the emotions of the game spoke louder than the score or win. 

It’s been a season from the start that has been riddled with drama, tension, and underwhelming play. It feels that the energy around the Rangers has only gotten worse as time has gone on. 

The mood best to describe this night was sadness. Walking into the legendary Madison Square Garden for the last time this season, there was a sense of gloom. 

It was business as usual, yet there was a strange feeling of emptiness like the Rangers were just playing this game for nothing, which was exactly the case. 

To close out the season, the Rangers actually played really well. The win didn’t matter though, the only thing this victory did was reignite the question: What could have been and where has this team been all season? 

All season long the Rangers showed no sense of heart, no sense of urgency, and no sense of purpose. 

There were fans and surprisingly a lot of them in attendance cheering on the Blueshirts, but it feels like everyone gave up on the Rangers a while ago. 

Throughout the contest, the sadness continued to pour on. The sadness for Sam Rosen who was calling his final game as the Rangers play-by-play announcer, the sadness of a team’s utter collapse from the top of the league to the pits of despair, and the sadness of another season ending with nothing to show for it. 

There was also a feeling of uncertainty. The Rangers have had the same nucleus of players for many years and that might be changing after what can only be described as a dreadful season. 

Throughout the year, the wheels were falling off this team’s core. They were barely holding it together as they continued to lose piece by piece from Jacob Trouba, to Kaapo Kakko, to Ryan Lindgren, to Jimmy Vesey. 

Thursday night felt like this core’s last dance. Sure, there will be quite a few players who return to New York next season. However, major roster turnover and a drastic culture shift are inevitable. 

After the game, Peter Laviolette and a few players rattled on the same old cliches, something that you knew they weren’t actually thinking deep down. 

In a night full of emotions and uncertainty, one thing remained crystal clear: The fans and people of New York deserve better.

Before the Mets' 4-1 win over the St. Louis Cardinals on Thursday night at Citi Field, manager Carlos Mendoza spoke about Brandon Nimmo's tough luck, if Juan Soto is under pressure, and a plan for center field.

Pressure on Juan Soto?

With one ninth of the season gone, Mendoza was asked about Soto not “being off to a start that he may like” and if the pressure – both from the outside work and from himself – meant that the skipper had taken some time to speak to the slugger about his first 18 games in Queens and to see where he is at mentally.

“Not really,” Mendoza said with a chuckle and a bemused smile. 

“It’s funny because here we are talking about not having the start he would like or we would like or people would like,” the manager continued.  “He’s still got like an .830 OPS and he’s still getting on base and giving you great at-bats.”

While the manager slightly inflated the slugger's number, which fell to .773 after Soto went 0-for-3 with a walk in Thursday's win, the point still stood. Especially when you consider the right fielder scorched two grounders – 106.7 mph off the bat up the middle in the first and 97.7 mph in the fifth – but came up empty.

In fact, the two balls in play carried a .530 and .500 expected batting average, per Statcast, but accounted for no hits and three outs via a double play.

“And yes, here we are,” Mendoza said, adding a shrug. “No, I just want him to be himself, go out there, have fun, and play the game.”

When asked about the pressure of the new contract, the new team, and a new borough, Mendoza said Soto was “under a lot of pressure last year when he was playing for the Yankees, going into his free agent year, and he handled it pretty well.”

“I think it’s just, he’s human,” the manager said. “And this is home for him now. He’s Juan Soto, he’s fine.”

Mendoza didn’t mention it, but over his career, games in March/April have been his worst ‘month.” He has a career .258/.395/.468 slash for an .863 OPS in 143 early-season games entering Thursday. 

Those four numbers are his lowest in those categories for any period of the season.

Nimmo’s fortune favors the bold? 

Through 19 games, Nimmo has 14 hits in 72 at-bats (.194) with three doubles, four home runs, and nine RBI with a .656 OPS.

What has the manager made of the 32-year-old’s at-bats to start the year? “They’re on, they’re off, there’s times where he’s hitting the ball hard and he’s not getting results,” Mendoza said before the game, in which Nimmo went 0-for-3. 

“Feel like he’s been a little aggressive at times, swinging at the first pitch,” he continued. “I think his approach, game plan that we’re going out there and we’re gonna be aggressive, he just hasn’t got results.”

Nimmo is swinging at the first pitch more than he ever has in his career at 46.1 percent entering Thursday’s game, up from 32.6 percent last year, which was up from a near career-low 25.5 percent in 2023.

But almost across the board, the Statcast metrics for Nimmo are up from last year: barrel percentage is up 5.2 percent, hard-hit percentage up 6.2 percent, expected batting average up .028 (to .272), and expected slugging up .121 (to .529, a small sample size career high).

In Thursday’s game, Nimmo swung at just one first-pitch and hit the ball hard (over 95 mph) twice, but had nothing to show for it.

“But we know, the professional hitter that he is, he’s gonna control the strike zone better than anybody else,” Mendoza said. “He’s got power, he’s got the ability to use the whole field, and he’s an important player for us. 

“So, early on, maybe a little bit of not getting results, hitting the ball hard, being a little too aggressive. But overall, I like where he’s at.”

With Nimmo batting in the heart of the order this year as opposed to in the two hole, where he spent a significant portion of last year, Mendoza was asked if that means the veteran is having trouble striking the right balance in his approach from working counts and taking walks to being more on the front foot and driving in runs.

“I think the game will dictate at times when he’s going to be aggressive, when he needs to work an at-bat,” the manager said. “And also, when there’s traffic out there and they’re giving you a pitch to hit, we want to be aggressive. 

“And more times than not, the results are gonna be there. Yes, right now, we’re not getting those results and we’re not gonna overreact to it. As long as the process, our approach, the reasons behind it are good reasons.”

Mendoza still sees Nimmo as “one of the better decision makers” at the plate. “He’s gonna be fine.”

Center of mind

With Jose Siri on the IL for some time with the broken left tibia, Mendoza isn’t short of options to platoon in center field with Tyrone Taylor. And the manager said Thursday that he is comfortable with Nimmo playing there “anytime we need him to.”

“Perfectly fine with [Nimmo] not only playing [center] late in games but even starts and things like that,” he said, adding that they will check on his fitness each day to maintain his freshness as the club views the long-time Met as an “everyday player.”

“Also comfortable playing the other guys,” Mendoza said. “I think it’s gonna be match-up based, if I feel like I need to get another lefty in the lineup and we put [Jesse] Winker in left and we put Brandon in center, we’ll be fine.”

Could that mean LuisangelAcuña ends up in center? “We’ll see,” the skipper said, adding that José Azócar, added to the roster on Thursday, can play there, too. “But we are preparing Acuña for a potential start if we need him to. He’s playing well, so he’s earning opportunities here.”

Nimmo was asked about the potential shift on Wednesday and said he is open to playing “wherever they want me to.”

“It doesn’t take any skin off my nose. I don’t have the pride like that. I just want to help the team win,” he said.

Another option down the road is Jeff McNeil, who played in center field Thursday in a rehab start at Port St. Lucie. (McNeil will return to playing at second base over the weekend.)

Two days after an illness meant he would miss his normal day in the rotation and sent the Mets’ front office scrambling through a series of roster moves, Griffin Canning made St. Louis Cardinals batters sick for six innings in New York’s 4-1 win Thursday night at Citi Field.

“I feel like tonight is kind of the blueprint,” Canning said after allowing one run on three hits over six innings while striking out eight. “Tonight is how I want to pitch.”

Canning finished his outing retiring nine-straight Cardinals, including five going down swinging.

“I thought the slider was good again today, the way he uses both slider-changeup, but the fastball at the top of the zone to finish off hitters,” manager Carlos Mendoza said, adding it was “hundred percent” the best he’s seen Canning’s four-seamer.

“He executed well,” the skipper said of the heater. “It was high enough to get by the hitters. Good carry, good velo, and used it effectively.”

Canning threw his fastball 45 times out of 102 pitches, and got seven whiffs and eight called strikes. The right-hander said he noticed the Cardinals’ lefties were “a hundred percent selling out for the changeup” early in the game and adjusted to get on the same page with Luis Torrens behind the plate.

“Just kinda felt like they were sitting off-speed,” he said. “Felt like the fastball had pretty good life, rolling what was working and on the same page as Luis back there.”

Mendoza remembered facing Canning last year and that the right-hander really liked his fastball. The plan against him was to “take away his fastball, knowing that the secondary pitches were really, really good.”

The biggest difference this season?

“The biggest adjustment is how he’s using his arsenal,” the manager said. “He’s getting ahead with a lot of different pitches, whether it’s the slider, the changeup. Using the fastball effectively. On hitters’ counts, he’s not just throwing four-seam fastballs there. He’s using all of his pitches. 

“... and when he’s ahead, he’s sneaking fastballs by hitters. I think it’s an adjustment, and I think he’s got the ability to read the situation and read the lineups and hitters are trying to do to him.”

Of course, the slider was quite good as he got six whiffs, five called strikes, and six foul balls from his 27 offerings. 

Canning, while leaning heavily on his big three pitches, noted he threw a few cutters to left-handed batters late in the game and five curveballs, after only throwing two in previous outings.

“The hitters are good, they’re gonna go into a game watching video and having an approach against me,” he said. “Being able to throw something in that’s a little different speed, little different look kinda helps me in the long run.”

The long run was something the Mets were hoping to get from Canning in Thursday’s start, with the bullpen thin after Huascar Brazobán was used as an opener and Justin Hagenman was called up for his MLB debut in Wednesday’s extra-inning loss at Minnesota. 

“We needed at least five from him,” Mendoza said, adding that while they “felt good about him taking the ball,” they would be watching him closely because “he was weak a couple of days ago.”

Canning spared everyone the details of the illness, just saying with a broad smile, “I just didn’t feel very good.” And after a pair of walks in the fourth and a run in the third, he settled into things, retiring six straight batters to get him to 84 pitches through those five innings.

“Watching him go out there and continue to execute pitches, hold the velo. He wasn’t missing his spots. Good outing by him,” Mendoza said.

Mendoza had Reed Garrett ready in the sixth if Canning got into any trouble, but after a nine-pitch strikeout started the frame, a pair of groundouts got him to a quality start and bridged the gap to the back-end of the Mets bullpen, who slammed the door shut.

Jeff McNeil continued his rehab with the Mets' Single-A affiliate down in Port St. Lucie, but Thursday saw him start in center field.

With Jose Siri down for weeks due to a leg injury, the Mets are trying to figure out who can play center field alongside Tyrone Taylor, and they are trying to give McNeil a look at the position.

In his first crack at center field on Thursday, McNeil was good, making all his plays and even making a running grab. The only ding on McNeil's start was that he went 0-for-3 at the plate, and is not 3-for-11 in four games, but he completed six innings in center field, which should be encouraging for the Mets.

Jeff McNeil makes a sliding catch in center field!

McNeil is playing center tonight on his rehab assignment for Single-A St. Lucie: pic.twitter.com/vWvsW9IR7O

— SNY Mets (@SNY_Mets) April 17, 2025

Manager Carlos Mendoza has given a few names as center field options moving forward. In addition to Taylor, Brandon Nimmo was named and the veteran outfielder is open to making the change from left field to help the team out.

"I'll play wherever they want me to. If that requires center field, then that's where I'll be," Nimmo said Wednesday. "We’ll see how they want to write things up as we move forward."

Luisangel Acuña is also a candidate, but while the young infielder has some experience in center down in the minors -- 31 games in 2024 -- it's not his natural position and he'll need reps in the majors. But the Mets are prepping Acuña for the task.

"We are preparing Acuña for a potential start if we need him to," Mendoza said on Thursday. "He's playing well. He's earning opportunities here."

The team also brought in José Azócar on Thursday, so they'll have another outfield option if they choose to go that way, but when McNeil returns from his injury, is when Mendoza and the rest of the organization will have decisions to make.

McNeil has made three appearances (two starts) in center field in his big league career. All those times in center came in 2023 when he had six chances and made six putouts.

Mark Vientos' first home run of the season started a four-run fourth inning that was all Griffin Canning needed as he twirled a quality six innings with eight strikeouts in the Mets' 4-1 win over the St. Louis Cardinals on Thursday night at Citi Field.

New York improved to 12-7 on the year (6-1 at home). St. Louis fell to 9-10 (1-6 on the road).

Here are the takeaways...

- Canning, who had his start pushed back a day due to illness, issued a pair of walks, missing outside to right-handers with sliders, but stranded the runners in the first. In the third, Canning allowed a leadoff single (that reached third on a steal and wild pitch), but his fastball got Lars Nootbaar and Wilson Contreras swinging before a bullet of an infield single scored the Cardinals’ first run.

After a leadoff bunt single in the fourth, Canning went back to the well of the high fastball to get back-to-back swinging strikeouts before a 3-2 slider in the dirt ended the inning with his sixth strikeout.

Canning finished very strong, retiring the last nine batters he faced to close the door with a quality start of one run on three hits and two walks with eight strikeouts over six innings on 102 pitches (65 strikes).

- Vientos ended his 62 at-bat home run drought with a leadoff shot off the foul pole in right. The third baseman took a fastball up and away and just kept it fair the other way, 339 feet down the line (100.1 mph off the bat). He finished the day 1-for-4.

- After the Vientos homer in the second, the Mets tacked on, starting with Starling Marte smacking a double to left to snap a 0-for-9 stretch. With two down, Brett Baty grabbed an RBI, serving a ball the other way for a softly hit single. Tyrone Taylor then lashed a first-pitch up the middle to give Francisco Lindor a chance with men on base.

Lindor, who singled his first time up, entered Thursday just 1-for-13 with runners in scoring position on the year. With the runners off on a 3-2 pitch, he rocketed a single to right to score one run, but got caught in no man’s land when the relay through was cut off. However, the Cardinals' defense failed to execute the rundown and Taylor smartly was able to dash home to give the Mets a 4-0 lead before Lindor was tagged out.

After the funky second, Cardinals starter Andre Pallante retired 12 of the next 13 batters with Lindor cracking his third single of the night, lifting a low breaking pitch into center, in the fifth.

- In relief for the Mets, Reed Garrett was first up and the Cards made him earn the scoreless seventh inning as they fouled off 10 pitches. AJ Minter tossed a perfect eighth on nine pitches, the inning after Garrett needed 29 to retire the side with a walk.

Edwin Diaz walked the leadoff hitter in the ninth for the third straight outing. But the closer got Alec Burleson looking at a fastball, Jordan Walker to swing through a slider, and Nolan Gorman to weakly ground out to first to pick up his fourth save of the year.

 - Juan Sotoscorched a ball up the middle (106.7 mph) but right at shortstop Brandon Donovan for a 6-4-3 double play in the first. Soto chased a high slider and then chased one in the dirt on a half-swing to go down on strikes his second time up. He smashed a 1-2 slider on the outside corner (97.7 mph) that was deftly handled by Nolan Arenado at third.

The two balls in play had a .530 and .500 expected batting average, but accounted for no hits and three outs. Baseball, huh? He finished 0-for-3 with a walk.

- Baty made a fine play in the first, moving quickly to his left on a sharply hit ball to get a force at second. And he cracked a double into the corner in right with two down in the seventh to give him back-to-back multi-hit games after not having any all season. He finished 2-for-3 and was lifted for Luisangel Acuña. 

- Pete Alonso made a nice over-the-shoulder grab in foul territory to start the second inning. The slugger, who has been red-hot at the plate, went 0-for-4 with a strikeout.

- Brandon Nimmo went 0-for-3 with a pair of hard-hit groundouts to see his average dip to .194 on the year.

Game MVP: Griffin Canning

The right-hander threw 14 first-pitch strikes to 23 batters and kept the Cardinals off balance all game. And in the 19th game of the year, he was the first Met pitcher to break the century mark on pitches.

Highlights

Pete Alonso makes the sliding grab in foul territory!

(stay tuned for Pete's celebration) pic.twitter.com/j6SP50sSKw

— SNY (@SNYtv) April 17, 2025

MARK VIENTOS' FIRST HOME RUN OF THE YEAR! pic.twitter.com/dB5V8RouRg

— SNY (@SNYtv) April 17, 2025

Brett Baty brings home Starling Marte with a bloop hit! pic.twitter.com/5dGTiQdIjg

— SNY (@SNYtv) April 17, 2025

WHAT CHAOS!

Francisco Lindor brings in Brett Baty... then gets stuck in a rundown... then waves home Tyrone Taylor, who scores before Lindor is tagged out! pic.twitter.com/LHsc17nL0E

— SNY (@SNYtv) April 17, 2025

Three strikeouts in the inning for Griffin Canning!

He's got six in four innings! pic.twitter.com/2cPdkxWGza

— SNY (@SNYtv) April 18, 2025

What's next

The Mets continue the series with the Cardinals on Friday at Citi Field at 7:10 p.m. on SNY.

Left-hander David Peterson (2.70 ERA, 1.380 WHIP in 16.2 innings) climbs the hill for New York. Righty Miles Mikolas (9.00 ERA, 1.615 WHIP in 13 innings) starts for St. Louis.