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.

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.”

Start with Francisco Lindor, who went hitless in the three games, and then skip over Soto before working down the batting order. The Mets aren’t hitting. On Saturday they managed only one hit in a 2-1 loss to the Astros at Daikin Park in the series rubber game.