Heading into Opening Day, the prevailing wisdom surrounding the Mets was that the lineup should be solid but the pitching might be an issue. So naturally through three games, the Mets have pitched well and struggled at the plate.

The first three games of the season haven’t been easy for Francisco Lindor with the New York Mets, and everyone is noticing. He was even forced to make an important admission about his struggles at the plate.

This was the script from last fall. Regardless of how the first seven or eight innings had gone, the Mets discovered another gear late, often against the opposing team’s most dominant relievers. Here it was, supercharged by the presence of Soto. “If we’ve got Juan up at the end of the game,” said Clay Holmes, “everybody likes our chances.”

After knocking a bloop double past a sliding Cam Smith with one out in the inning, Torrens was thrown out at third base during Soto's at-bat. The Mets remained scoreless, trailing the Astros 3-0 midway through the fifth inning.

The home run helped the Mets gain some separation over the Astros (1-1). They took two off Brown in the second inning, but after Soto’s homer made it 3-0, the Mets’ bats were effectively quieted. Right-hander Tylor Megill faced the minimum through three innings, but struggled to make it through the order the second time around.