In the finale of the weekend series between the New York Mets and Philadelphia Phillies, everything that has gone wrong with the Mets’ season came to a head. Inevitably, the decision made was the wrong one, the team lost a game that they were winning by three runs in the eighth, and the team’s slump continued.
Time is running out for these Mets. On June 26, they sit seven games under .500, 15 games behind in the division and eight in the Wild Card. There are just three National League teams with worse records. Failing to beat a team against whom they had a 17-5 record over the past year-plus seems symbolic in a way.
3 Up
Scherzer Stanches the Bleeding
Max Scherzer has rebounded from two bad starts to look closer to his old self. His outing against the Phillies wasn’t perfect, but he managed to stem the negative tide with a six-inning, two-run quality performance. He did give up seven hits, including another home run, but he struck out eight batters and walked just one. Finishing six with 107 pitches is not ideal (nearly 18 per inning), but Scherzer got it done. That’s what the Mets had expected from their two top guns, something that Jacob deGrom did regularly in his time with the Mets but both Scherzer and Justin Verlander have struggled with this season.
Nimmo Likes the Road
Brandon Nimmo found Citizens Bank Park to his liking (as hitters often do), going 5-for-13 with a homer and three RBI in the series. Though he did have a sloppy error, as well, his hitting made an impact. A trip back to Citi Field is the last thing the Mets’ center fielder needs, though, as the pitcher’s park has historically depressed his offensive output significantly.
Lindor Has An Impact
Francisco Lindor continued his better hitting of the last couple of series. He went 4-for-12 with a homer, although he did also strike out three times in the finale. He also stole a base, his ninth of the season. Though his batting average still sits at .221, he did get his OPS up to .749, the highest it’s been since May 11. The Mets need Lindor to revert to his 2022 self to have a chance of pulling out of their season-long funk.
Photo Credit: The Enquirer
3 Down
Buck Stops Here?
It’s easy to blame the bullpen for the Mets’ loss in the rubber game of the series, but let’s put it squarely where it truly belongs: at the feet of Buck Showalter. The Mets manager has invariably pushed the wrong buttons this season. It’s one thing to second-guess a decision, but this was a head-scratcher from the beginning. Saving his closer for the ninth inning with a three-run lead and the bases loaded with no one out is a manager move straight out of 2008. Somehow, because that closer is not named Edwin Díaz, Showalter chose to go to Jeff Brigham instead of David Robertson and paid for it with yet another series loss.
Yes, the Mets’ bullpen is in shambles, but the manager has amplified its futility with his perplexing usage. In 2022, Díaz and Adam Ottavino perfumed the odor of some bad decision-making with their brilliance. In 2023, there is no magic eraser to turn to, and Showalter’s ineptitude with the bullpen has been exposed for what it is.
Bottom Half Futility
The Mets mustered just 11 runs in three games, a 3.7 per-game average that is generally not enough to win a series at the bandbox in Philadelphia. The bottom part of the lineup was a big contributor to the lack of run-scoring. In total, the Mets’ six through nine hitters went 8-for-38 (.211) in the series, headlined by Francisco Álvarez and Jeff McNeil, both of whom went 0-for-7. At any given time, at least half of the Mets’ lineup seems to be slumping significantly, and it shows in their run output.
Inconsistent Starters
Given the discussion of the bullpen above, it’s natural to look at the two non-Scherzer starters in the series as another loss point. Two of the four runs Kodai Senga gave up were unearned, but he still needed 102 pitches to finish 5 1/3 innings and walked another three batters. He also had an opportunity to move past the first-inning error on his first batter of the game but instead turned it into a two-run Mets deficit. While Josh Walker ultimately blew the game open by allowing the runners he inherited from Senga to score in the sixth, it was another inconsistent effort from the righty.
Carlos Carrasco, meanwhile, once again did not manage to get through five innings. Though part of it was based on another questionable Showalter decision to pull him after four innings, two runs surrendered, and 78 pitches, Carrasco had done nothing to inspire confidence. His nearly-20 pitches per inning, five hits, two walks, and home run allowed have been a chronic problem. It’s likely time for the Mets to end the Cookie experience, as his dark blue Baseball Savant page signals one of the worst starters in baseball.
