3 Up, 3 Down: Mets Suffer House Of Horrors Series vs. Dodgers

The New York Mets have officially hit rock bottom.

After what we just witnessed in a three-game set against the powerhouse Dodgers, it doesn’t seem possible for the Mets to plunge any deeper into the depths of despair.

Although, probably wise not to rule anything out with this team.

It was a house of horrors series that featured every low imaginable possible. From losing Edwin Díaz and Pete Alonso to injury, to inventing yet more ways to lose, to Jorge López‘s costly actions, the Mets put their fans through two hellish days in Queens.

And we’re still in May.

Where the team goes from here remains to be seen. It is possible that the team meeting, the one called in the immediate wake of Wednesday’s clown show, could serve as a catalyst for brighter times ahead.

However, given everything we’ve seen from the Mets through the first 55 games of the season, it is hard to have any confidence in them the rest of the way. They just keep on melting down, wiping away any hope and excitement in the process.

On that very depressing tone, let’s dive right into a very somber edition of 3 Up, 3 Down…

3 UP

LEADERSHIP

Okay, so this season hasn’t exactly gone to plan for Francisco Lindor so far. The shortstop is hitting just .211/.279/.372/.652 with eight homers and 43 strikeouts entering Thursday’s game. However, we saw on Wednesday just why Lindor should be considered an important core piece of this team moving forward. With everything and everyone imploding around him, Lindor had the peace of mind to call a team meeting. As a result, it allowed everyone inside the clubhouse to air their frustrations and let off some steam. Whether or not the team meeting will have a positive impact remains to be seen. That story still needs to be told. But, it did underline Lindor’s status as a true leader on this team. It also highlighted just how much he cares about the Mets. And that’s important.

POSITIVE COMEBACK

David Peterson waited a long time for Wednesday. Making his 2024 season debut following offseason hip surgery, Peterson was solid on the mound. He gave up three runs, two earned, on seven hits with one walk and three strikeouts. It was a pretty good first outing back for Peterson, who at least kept the Mets in the game. If Peterson can stay healthy, he could be a nice fifth starter in the rotation going forward.

LOOK TO THE FUTURE

There are 107 games remaining for the Mets. However, no amount of Kool-Aid can convince me that this team will stage much of a turnaround. Instead, it is probably time to start paying special attention to what’s going down on the farm. Luisangel Acuña, the No. 5 prospect in the Mets system, went 1-for-3 with a walk and two runs scored for Triple-A Syracuse on Wednesday. He’s currently hitting .260/.311/.370/.681 with three homers, eight doubles and 16 RBIs. However, he has a slash line of .385/.444/.538 with five stolen bases, three doubles, one homer and four RBIs over his last 10 games. If Acuña can maintain that pace, then we could be seeing him in the big leagues sooner rather than later.

3 DOWN 

DAY FROM HELL

The Mets are a tortured franchise used to hellish days. Heck, the entire organization is built on pain and misery. Therefore, those who worship at the church of Citi Field are used to days of implosion and unstoppable downward spirals. It is woven in the DNA of Mets fans at this point. However, not even the most battle-hardened of Amazins’ supporters could have been prepared for the fireball of ineptitude that was fired our way on Wednesday. It began with injuries to Edwin Díaz and Pete Alonso (more on that below). It continued with another embarrassing collapse in a third straight loss to the Dodgers. And it culminated in a meltdown by Jorge López. If any MLB team has had a worse day than that recently, then I don’t want to know about it.

Man, oh man, this team. The Mets have already been the perfect picture of ineptitude, without needing a reliever to throw a tantrum to end all other tantrums. Not content with launching his glove into the crowd, López swore several times on camera, lied about meeting with management and offered no remorse for his actions. Now, I will defend him on the fact that he said teammate and not team. Some members of the press have not helped him in that department. However, there is still no defending López’s actions and he deserved to lose his place on the team. With everything else burning down, you can’t have somebody like that in the building adding more gasoline to the flames. You just can’t. By acting in the way that he did, López brought more negative attention to a team that is already crumbling under all the pressure.

It is important to note that López has dealt with mental health issues in the past and he currently has a son dealing with familial Mediterranean fever awaiting a transplant.

DOUBLE BLOW

The Mets have very clearly pissed off the Baseball Gods in a big way. I mean, how else can you explain away all the bad things being rained down on this team currently? Edwin Díaz, who has endured a nightmare start to the year, was placed on the 15-day IL with a right shoulder impingement. He has a 5.40 ERA with four blown saves on the year. If that wasn’t bad enough, then Pete Alonso was removed from Wednesday’s game with a hand injury. With both the X-rays and CT scans coming back negative, it appears as though Alonso and the Mets have dodged a major bullet. The first baseman is currently considered day-to-day. Talk about a lucky break.

INEPTITUDE PERSONIFIED 

Talk about finding new ways to lose. The Mets have done that all year, but they took it to new levels in the series against the Dodgers. They blew a late lead in Game 1 of the doubleheader on Tuesday, before proceeding to be shut out in Game 2 for the sixth time this season. Then, on Wednesday, the Mets entered the eighth inning tied, before imploding in explosive fashion.

Adam Ottavino – who was money in April – was shelled for four runs a day after blowing a save. He has now allowed seven earned runs in his last four outings. Ottavino isn’t the only problem, however. Far from it. The bullpen has now allowed 68 runs in the 7th inning or late over their last 35 games. The offense still can’t score in the 10th inning or come up with the clutch hit on a consistent enough basis.

As a result, the Mets are now 10-25 with a -58 run differential since April 21 — the worst record in Major League Baseball over that span. Very few players are performing to the back of their baseball cards. If this isn’t rock bottom, then I have no interest in finding out what actual rock bottom is. Things are falling apart for the 2024 New York Mets, and the series against the Dodgers proved to be the lowest ebb yet.