Juan Soto stands by his ‘hustle’ after more curious baserunning as Mets plan to talk with star

BOSTON — The Mets person sloppiness to cleanable up, but Juan Soto doesn’t position his level of hustle arsenic portion of nan problem.

For a 2nd consecutive night, nan prima Mets outfielder was caught successful quicksand moving to first base. This clip it was a changeable he thought would clear nan Green Monster for a homer but deed nan wall, leaving him pinch a azygous successful nan sixth inning owed to his precocious departure from nan batter’s box.

Soto yet reclaimed nan guidelines pinch a bargain of second, but it was mediocre optics for a subordinate who hasn’t precisely carried nan Mets offense, including an anemic capacity during nan Subway Series in his return to Yankee Stadium past weekend.

After the Mets’ 3-1 nonaccomplishment to nan Red Sox astatine Fenway Park, he was asked if he needed to beryllium much alert of moving difficult to first base.

“I deliberation I person been hustling very hard,” Soto said. “If you saw it today, you could tell.”

A nighttime earlier, Soto deed a grounder to 2nd guidelines successful The Bronx and slowed to a jog connected a shot that was bobbled. Soto restarted his jets, but was excessively precocious to hit nan throw.

Though Soto doesn’t spot an issue, head Carlos Mendoza views it differently.

“We’ll talk to him astir it,” Mendoza said. “Tonight, evidently erstwhile personification gets a clasp of [a pitch] and knows erstwhile he gets it, it’s Juan. He thought he had it, but pinch nan upwind … but successful this ballpark and anyplace successful particular, pinch that wall correct there, you person sewage to get retired of nan box. So, yeah, we’ll talk that.”

Soto’s hustle (or deficiency thereof) wasn’t nan only eyesore for nan Mets, who successful losing for nan 4th clip successful 5 games were 1-for-8 pinch runners successful scoring position. The Mets person been constricted to 3 runs aliases less successful six consecutive games.

Soto, who vanished 1-for-10 past play against nan Yankees, deed into a double play to termination a third-inning rally Monday.

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“I consciousness for illustration we person sewage to capitalize arsenic a team,” Soto said. “We person sewage to spell retired location and effort to get those guys in. We are doing a beautiful bully occupation of getting guys on, but coming we person sewage to travel through.”

Kodai Senga rebounded aft a shaky opening to decorativeness astatine 3 earned runs allowed connected 5 hits pinch 5 strikeouts and 3 walks complete six innings. It marked nan first clip this play Senga surrendered 3 earned runs successful a start.

Senga, connected a windy night, fell into a speedy 2-0 hole. Jarren Duran opened pinch a leadoff double successful nan first and Rafael Devers walked earlier Alex Bregman’s groundout brought successful nan tally from third. Trevor Story delivered a two-out RBI azygous to widen nan lead.

Duran’s RBI triple successful nan 2nd gave nan Red Sox a 3-0 lead. Carlos Narváez walked earlier Duran, pinch 2 outs, jumped connected a forkball and deed it into nan correct section corner.

“The first mates of innings, pinch nan upwind and nan situation successful wide I was having a difficult clip executing my pitches,” Senga said done his interpreter. “But I wanted to spell retired location and enactment successful nan crippled and make it a winnable game. I was capable to enactment retired location for a bully amount.”

Tyrone Taylor’s RBI azygous successful nan 3rd pulled nan Mets wrong 3-1. Francisco Alvarez doubled starring disconnected nan inning. Francisco Lindor walked pursuing Taylor’s single, but Soto quashed nan inning by hitting into a double play.

Pete Alonso’s 2nd throwing miscue successful arsenic galore nights gave nan Red Sox a threat successful nan fourth. Alonso flipped complete Senga’s caput covering first guidelines connected Duran’s grounder, giving nan Red Sox runners connected nan corners pinch 2 outs. Devers walked to load nan bases earlier Senga retired Bregman.

It was a unsmooth nighttime for Alonso, who smacked a changeable disconnected nan Green Monster successful nan first inning but was thrown retired arsenic he slid into 2nd base. Alonso was initially ruled safe, but nan Red Sox won a replay challenge.

After Soto stole 2nd pursuing his azygous disconnected nan wall successful nan sixth inning, Alonso walked. But Brandon Nimmo deed into a double play and Mark Vientos was retired.

The Mets threatened pinch 2 outs successful nan seventh: Jeff McNeil walked and Taylor’s azygous (which included an correction by correct fielder Wilyer Abreu) put runners connected nan corners.

After a pitching change, Lindor was retired by Justin Slaten connected nan first pitch.

“We’re not getting nan occupation done pinch runners successful scoring position,” Mendoza said. “At times I consciousness for illustration we’re taking existent bully pitches to hit, being passive, and past astatine times chasing.”