Overview
- The Mets defeated the AL East–leading Tampa Bay Rays 3-2 in the series opener on Monday at Tropicana Field.
- Robert Stock tossed 5 1/3 scoreless innings with no walks and four strikeouts to earn his first major-league win since 2019 and lower his season ERA.
- Mark Vientos was activated from the injured list and hit a go-ahead solo home run in the seventh inning to provide the key offense in his return.
- Christopher Morel made a leaping catch with the bases loaded and later threw out a runner to preserve Stock’s shutout bid and limit Tampa Bay’s damage.
- The bullpen allowed two runs in the eighth before Chris Devenski and Kodai Senga closed, and the outing strengthens the case for internal rotation candidates while the Mets continue to consider adding arms such as Justin Hagenman and monitoring Triple-A option Jonah Tong.