3 Up, 3 Down: Mets’ Woes Continue With LA Sweep

Things appear pretty bleak for the New York Mets right now.

While still early, the last couple of weeks have been ugly, and the struggles continued with the Mets being swept by the Dodgers in LA. Over the course of the three games, New York was outscored 14-3. In all, the offense has managed a measly three runs over the last 38 innings.

Furthermore, mental errors continue to plague this team. The Mets are playing fundamentally bad baseball every single night. Players are making inexcusable, costly mistakes on a daily basis. It is just hard to watch.

So, let’s try to find a few positives while recapping all the negatives in the latest edition of 3 Up, 3 Down…

3 UP

TIMELY BOOST

While not directly related to the Dodgers series, the Mets did get some positive news in LA. Juan Soto, out with a right calf strain, resumed running this week. Furthermore, he took part in some live at-bats at Citi Field on Wednesday. As a result, the superstar hitter could return in time for the Mets’ next homestand. Given how lifeless this offense has been, Soto’s return can’t come quick enough.

ADDING A SPARK

Due to injuries, MJ Melendez was recalled from Triple-A and made his Mets debut on Wednesday. It was a debut to remember. The outfielder hit two doubles and finished with an RBI. With the rest of the lineup going a combined 3-for-28 with 12 strikeouts, Melendez at least tried to provide a much-needed spark. While it didn’t amount to anything, Melendez did show that he could be a contributor for the Mets at the Major League level.

THE NOLAN SHOW 

Nolan McLean is legitimate. Like, he really is the real deal. The rookie entered this season with high expectations, and he’s quickly justifying all of the hype. McLean was lights out in his latest start, allowing just one run on two hits with eight strikeouts over seven stellar innings. He gave his team every single opportunity to win. It was just a shame his offense didn’t get the memo. Nevertheless, McLean is continuing to show why many feel he could be the future face of this franchise. He flashed filthy stuff against LA while impressing with both his arsenal and his command. When McLean is operating at the peak of his powers, as he was on Tuesday, he’s going to be hard to beat no matter the quality of the opposing lineup.

3 DOWN

NO PULSE

There are few words remaining to accurately describe just how bad the offense is at the moment. Even without Juan Soto, there are no excuses for this lineup being this bad. Yet, 19 games in, and we’re approaching panic time with just how lifeless the entire offense is. Across the three games in LA, the Mets scored just three runs while being held to only 12 hits. Furthermore, they have managed just three runs total over the last 38 innings. If that wasn’t bad enough, the at-bats look lifeless and there appear to be no tangible signs of a turnaround. There is a lot of swing-and-miss with this team, not to mention a real lack of an offensive identity. Unless things turn around soon offensively, then the Mets could be in a lot of trouble.

AN UGLY MESS

“We’re not playing good baseball right now.” And manager Carlos Mendoza wins the most captain obvious statement of the entire year. Yes, the Mets aren’t playing good baseball right now. They are playing incredibly ugly baseball. They are whiffing on the very basic fundamentals of the game. And they are making sloppy errors that you would struggle to find in Little League. It is just a hot mess. Francisco Lindor failed to charge down a groundball that led to LA hitting a grand slam late in the series finale.

Francisco Alvarez was thrown out at second after misreading a play in the same game. Devin Williams struggled out of the bullpen on Wednesday. David Peterson threw yet another clunker in his latest start. All in all, the Mets aren’t helping themselves right now due to an inability to get even the basic fundamentals of the game right.

PILING ON

Everything tends to go wrong during the course of a losing streak. As so proved during the three-game stretch in LA. First, the Mets lost Jared Young for anywhere between 6-8 weeks with a left meniscus tear. Now, while not a major piece, Young has provided solid depth this year with a .391 on-base percentage. Perhaps more consequential was the news that a stint on the IL still hasn’t been ruled out for Jorge Polanco. The veteran was out of the lineup again on Thursday as he continues to deal with Achilles bursitis. Not only has Polanco been unable to log many reps at first base, but he’s also not produced offensively. He’s hitting just .179/.246/.286/.532 with one home run. There might be some concern that this lingering injury could lead to diminished production for the entire year.