The New York Mets have lost six games in a row. The last two of those have come at the hands of the worst team in MLB, the Baltimore Orioles. Despite some absolutely stellar starting pitching performances, the Mets can’t seem to get their offense going. At all.
During this current losing streak, the team’s combined earned-run average is 3.66 and their slash line is .139/.233/.214 with just seven runs scored.
As rough as the road has been going from being an 11-1 ballclub then back to a sub-.500 ballclub, this lack of offensive potency won’t remedy anything. And if this team keeps wasting their pitching staff’s outstanding starts, a rift is sure to develop at some point.
In an article from Tim Britton of The Athletic, Michael Conforto and Todd Frazier both spoke about the losses that keep piling up and the effects that they’ve been having on the team.
“Adding pressure can build mountains in your head,” Frazier said. “We’re in a lull right now.”
“When things aren’t going well, everybody wants to be that guy,” Conforto added. “Everybody wants to have that breakout hit for us.”
Asdrubal Cabrera‘s fourth-inning double (the Mets’ first hit of the game against Dylan Bundy) and Kevin Plawecki‘s two-base hit in the seventh inning of Wednesday’s loss were clearly the team’s best chances to put a run on the board.
The Mets went down in order after Cabrera’s leadoff double, and Amed Rosario struck out with the bases loaded in the seventh after Plawecki’s rope.
This team is now slashing .230/.341/.341 with runners in scoring position this season (batting average is 27th in all of baseball) with nine home runs (tied for MLB-worst) and 150 runs batted in (27th in MLB) in 405 at-bats in those scenarios (29th-least in MLB; Orioles are last with 402).
Zack Wheeler spoke to Britton about the Mets’ struggles after arguably his best start since returning from Tommy John surgery last season (seven innings, three hits, no runs, five strikeouts and a walk).
“We’re a lot better team than we’re playing,” Wheeler said. “I’ve said that before, and I keep saying it because we are a better team than what we’re playing.”
New York Mets skipper Mickey Callaway added to the overall theme of Wednesday’s post-game comments, again to Britton.
“Law of averages says that these guys are good players. They’re going to start swinging the bats… They’re working as hard as they can to go out there and be the best they can be.”
Tensions are obviously mounting and the pressure’s increasing, but Mickey is right. The Mets have good ballplayers and they won’t be this bad the entire season. Every team loses ballgames, but losing at this pace is simply not going to get the job done.
