3 Up, 3 Down: Mets Stumble In Arizona

It’s official – The New York Mets have the worst record in baseball once again.

Despite finishing a long road trip 5-4, the Mets return home with a 15-25 record on the year. After showing some progress against Anaheim and Colorado, New York dropped two out of three to the Diamondbacks.

At this point, it is fair to wonder if we’re just destined for a long, tough season full of more losing than winning. We’re 35 games in, and this team doesn’t look capable of turning things around.

Time to strap on our big boy pants and recap yet another tough weekend in the latest edition of 3 Up, 3 Down …

3 UP

BOUNCING BACK

After lasting just four innings in his previous start, Nolan McLean looked more like himself against the Diamondbacks on Friday. The righty tossed six innings, allowing just one earned run on three hits and one walk while striking out six. Admittedly, McLean didn’t have his best stuff, and he did face some traffic. However, he gutted it out and did his job to ensure that three runs were enough to win the series opener.

CONSISTENT EXCELLENCE

We’re over 30 games into the 2026 season, and Clay Holmes continues to be the Mets’ best and most reliable starter. And while he didn’t get the result he wanted in his latest start on Saturday, he was still impressive. He was able to limit the damage by allowing just two runs on five hits across 5.2 innings with six strikeouts. Sadly, the offense managed just one run. As a result, another solid Holmes start was wasted. Regardless, Holmes now owns a stellar 1.86 ERA on the year. Talk about a bright spot.

GOOD RELIEF

You can’t blame the bullpen for the Mets losing two out of three in Arizona. Across the three games, the relief pitching was money. Luke Weaver, Brooks Raley, Devin Williams, and Tobias Myers combined for four scoreless innings of relief in the opener. Austin Warren and Craig Kimbrel also tossed scoreless innings on Saturday. And on Sunday, the bullpen was let down by bad defense. However, both Myers and Sean Manaea went scoreless over an inning each. All in all, the pen more than did its job.

3 DOWN

ONE STEP FORWARD, TWO STEPS BACKWARDS

There is enough of a sample size now to suggest that the Mets are just a bad baseball team. They are the worst team in baseball and can’t get out of their own way. The Diamondbacks series was emblematic of that. After winning back-to-back series on the road, New York dropped two sloppy games to finish the trip on a low note. There is just no consistency with this team. Furthermore, the same old mistakes just keep on being repeated. At this point, it is hard to envision anything but another embarrassing, failed season.

CALAMITY CITY

The Mets keep on finding new ways to lose baseball games. Just look at Sunday. The team committed three errors, two of which came from Andy Ibáñez. The result? Three unearned runs were scored in the sixth inning, effectively sealing the loss. You can’t commit errors on routine throws and expect to win baseball games. Sunday also highlighted once again just how flawed this roster is. Too many pieces don’t fit, especially defensively, and it is hard to see how that will improve in-season.

STARS GONE MISSING

The offense was woeful yet again during this series. As a result, the Mets have the fourth-lowest OBP (.287) through 40 games in franchise history. They are also averaging the second-fewest runs (3.48) in baseball, and rank last in several other categories. Across the three games, the offense scored just five runs and recorded a measly 12 hits. Of course, it didn’t help that Juan Soto went a combined 0-for-10 against Arizona. Bo Bichette also went 0-for-10. If the best hitters on the team can’t record even one hit, then that isn’t going to help an already horrific offense. Given their statures, Soto and Bichette need to wake up and start carrying this lineup on their backs.