What has gone wrong with the floundering Mets?
The Mets season has taken a turn for the worse in the past month.
While not expected to contend for the World Series this season, the losses have been repetitive. They were 26-35 after defeating the Washington Nationals 6-3 on the road on Tuesday night. It was their second win in a row after Monday’s 8-7 win over the Nationals. Yet, from May 6 to June 4, the Mets were just 9-17.
Blowing late leads has been damaging and thus far been one of the causes of their fleeting prospects of challenging near the top of the National League East. They were in fourth place and already 16.5 games behind the division-leading Philadelphia Phillies, which were 43-19 and tied with the Yankees for the best record in all of MLB, going into yesterday’s slate of games.
The Mets’ bullpen has been a major factor in their demise. Two-time MLB Reliever of the Year, Edwin Diaz, was being counted on to be a reliable closer—but he has four blown saves and a 5.40 earned run average in 20 appearances.
Maybe injuries were a factor: Diaz is presently on the disabled list. Without him, others have been pushed into the closer’s role and the results have been low. Minus Diaz, the other relievers have eight blown saves in May. Additionally, the Mets have five extra inning losses over the last month!
The offense also shares the blame. They were held to two runs or less in 10 losses in May and were batting just .238 mid-week as a team. Designated hitter J. D. Martinez led the regulars with a .275 average in 131 at-bats as of yesterday. He didn’t join the team until late March after signing a one-year, $12 million free-agent deal.
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Second baseman Jeff McNeil has labored at the plate, sitting out Tuesday’s win with a .227 average and only 14 runs batted. Centerfielder Brandon Nimmo has also been a disappointment, hitting only .222 after going 2-4 on Tuesday.
As a team, the Mets are in the bottom half of most major hitting categories. The absence of catcher Francisco Alvarez, who is recovering from surgery in April to repair a torn ligament in his left thumb, has been a big void in the lineup.
A team-only meeting after a loss to the Dodgers last week has produced some improvement, but it couldn’t get much worse. While the trade deadline is next month, it has been suggested that the Mets should deal All-Star first baseman Pete Alonso. He’ll be a free agent after the season and is represented by powerful agent Scott Boras.
While team owner Steve Cohen has accepted this as a rebuilding year, he might not want to spend big bucks on Alonso. Others could be trade candidates. However, for now, the Mets may be patient less than four games out of a wildcard spot but must be realistic about their postseason chances.
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