What could go wrong, did go wrong this weekend for the New York Mets.

For the very first time in 2025, the Mets found themselves on the wrong end of a series sweep. They offered little resistance against a red-hot Rays team.

There were a lot of worrying trends to emerge from the weekend. The starting rotation showed consistent signs of regression throughout the series. The bullpen couldn’t lock games down. The offense was a no-show. And the runners-in-scoring position problem reared its ugly head once again.

All in all, the Mets were forced to eat a very large serving of humble pie by the red-hot Rays.

To that end, let’s trawl through the wreckage from a disappointing weekend in the latest edition of 3 Up, 3 Down…

Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

3 UP

MARTE PARTY

Okay, we’re short on positives from the weekend. That much is clear. There was very little from the series against Tampa Bay to get excited about for Mets fans. Not an awful lot went right for this team over the weekend. However, with that said, Starling Marte did at least provide one bright point. The veteran was the lone offensive spark in the series opener, going 3-for-4 with a season-high three RBIs. After a really slow start, Marte has begun to turn the corner. And, in doing so, he’s showing that he can be a significant contributor in an important part-time role for this team the rest of the way in2025.

ALL ON HIS OWN

Clay Holmes is probably the only pitcher who can hold his head high following what happened over the weekend. The righty enjoyed a strong night on the mound on Friday, allowing just one earned run on three hits and two walks with three strikeouts. He was controversially pulled after just 79 pitches, with the Mets keen to manage Holmes’ workload. Still, whether it was the right call or not, Holmes left having given his team the best chance to win the game. He made one mistake and left with the Mets holding a big lead. Unfortunately, the bullpen couldn’t back up Holmes’ efforts.

DODGING A BULLET 

The Mets caught a significant break on the injury front over the weekend. It was confirmed that Kodai Senga has a low-grade hamstring strain. He will be re-evaluated in two weeks. The news is largely positive, with Senga avoiding a substantial spell on the IL. That’s certainly a huge boost, given that Senga had been pitching at a Cy Young caliber level this year, owning a 1.47 ERA before getting hurt. And, given the cracks starting to show in the rotation, the fact that Senga shouldn’t be out for too long represents a lucky break for the Mets.

Jun 15, 2025; New York City, New York, USA; New York Mets pitcher Griffin Canning (46) delivers a pitch against the Tampa Bay Rays during the first inning at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images

3 DOWN

STARTING PAINS

Key to the Mets being one of the best teams in baseball in 2025 has been the success of the starting rotation. That group has been stellar, performing above expectations. However, we saw some worrying signs of regression this weekend. Tylor Megill laid a Godzilla-sized egg on the mound on Saturday, allowing six runs (three earned) on seven hits and two walks over just 3.2 innings. He also flubbed a routine defensive play in the fourth, leading to a run scored and the bases loaded. As a result, three more runs would score in that inning because of Megill’s error, effectively sealing a loss for the Mets.

However, we arguably saw a more concerning pitching performance in the finale on Sunday. Griffin Canning was absolutely shelled, giving up six earned runs on four hits and five walks in just 4.1 innings. Canning’s struggles on the mound set the tone for an ugly 9-0 shutout loss. Furthermore, Canning continues to show clear signs of regression, while question marks remain with Megill. Consequently, we now have reason to worry about this starting rotation for the first time in 2025, especially with Senga out. Not to mention the fact that Frankie Montas continues to struggle throughout his rehab assignment. All in all, this was a really troubling weekend for the starting rotation.

SETTING (A) BAD TONE 

Friday provided a taste of what the weekend would be like. After Clay Holmes was pulled after 79 pitches, the bullpen was tasked with protecting a big lead. Instead, Paul Blackburn came in and just didn’t have it. He gave up four earned runs on four hits with no strikeouts. That allowed Tampa a route back into the game. However, it was Max Kranick who ultimately sealed his team’s fate, giving up a two-run home run to Danny Jansen with what proved to be the go-ahead runs. There is a lot of blame to be passed around for what happened at the weekend. The bullpen has to take the majority of the share for Friday’s implosion. The rest of the weekend was so-so. Ryne Stanek serving up a three-run homer to seal an embarrassing shutout loss in the finale summed up a terrible weekend for the entire pitching staff.

NO-SHOW OFFENSE

For all of the talent in the lineup, the Mets couldn’t get any offense going against a good Tampa team. The lineup couldn’t come up with a big hit in Friday’s opener, going 2-for-16 with RISP and leaving 12 runners stranded on base. The Mets finished 0-for-7 with RISP on Sunday, again leaving 12 runners stranded. However, arguably the biggest culprit for the no-show offense was the performance – or lack thereof – of the big three hitters. Juan Soto, Francisco Lindor and Pete Alonso went a combined 6-for-33 with just two extra-base hits. That just isn’t good enough. If the Mets are to live up to expectations this season and go deep in the postseason, production from the top of the lineup and cashing in with RISP will be crucial. The Mets won’t have a chance against good teams unless those two areas are improved upon.