Mets could use the momentum of Dodgers series victory to get hot

The New York Mets took two out of three against the Los Angeles Dodgers over the weekend, which could serve as a launching pad to kick their season into high gear.

May 25, 2025; New York City, New York, USA; New York Mets first baseman Pete Alonso (20) celebrates with second baseman Luisangel Acuna (2) and right fielder Juan Soto (22) after defeating the Los Angeles Dodgers at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

Memorial Day has arrived, which is the traditional time most fans take the baseball standings seriously, and the New York Mets are in a far better place than they were a year ago.

At this time in 2024, the Mets were about to get swept by the Los Angeles Dodgers, falling to 22-33 to hit rock bottom before turning their season around. While it is true the Mets have cooled off to start May, their cold performance still saw them go 11-11 over the past 22 games. This allowed them to reach Memorial Day 11 games above .500, the inverse of last year.

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In an ironic twist, the Dodgers were in town again for the holiday weekend and the Mets performed much better against them, winning two out of three against the team that eliminated them from the playoffs a year ago.

An absolute LASER 🐻‍❄️ pic.twitter.com/uZ7PQ2kmhq

— New York Mets (@Mets) May 25, 2025

Winning the series against the Dodgers helped the Mets get some good momentum going after a frustrating week that saw them lose four out of six against the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox. The series was also a bit of a coming out party for Juan Soto, who hit rockets all weekend to pick up some key RBI and demonstrated tremendous effort, including a running catch to rob a hit on Sunday night.

Go and get it, Soto! pic.twitter.com/Vrd2x1Lda1

— New York Mets (@Mets) May 26, 2025

While it is true that the Dodgers' pitching staff has been depleted by injuries, the Mets still needed to out hit their fearsome lineup, which was at full strength in the series. The Mets were one big hit on Friday night away from sweeping the reigning champs, which should improve the vibes in the clubhouse ahead of a more manageable stretch of the schedule.

After going through a few weeks of games against contending teams, the Mets now get a stretch of 13 games that will see nine games come against two of the worst teams in baseball, the Chicago White Sox and Colorado Rockies. Six of those games will come at home this week and the Mets will visit Coors Field next weekend as part of a West Coast trip that includes a four-game set with the Dodgers.

If the Mets can find a way to split the Dodgers series, they have a chance to stack some serious wins against the other two teams. Going 7-2 against the Rockies and White Sox, which could certainly happen given the momentum the Mets have built off of the Dodgers series win, and splitting in Los Angeles would put the Mets at 41-25 just ahead of a big stretch in division games in mid-June.

While Mets fans are understandably frustrated that the team's .500 stretch allowed the Philadelphia Phillies to claim first place in the National League East, New York is still in an enviable position at this point. Entering the holiday in a firm playoff position and two key wins over the Dodgers could do a lot to springboard the Mets into a tremendous summer.