The Mets were able to salvage the final game of their series with the Miami Marlins this weekend, but still remain just a game up from the cellar of the National League East.
New York just endured one of the worst months in franchise history, and the worst June, going 5-21 after dropping their series to Miami.
Mets manager Mickey Callaway said that through the first half of the season with the Mets being 33-48 through 81 games, they have learned a lot.
“They’ve been tough. I’ve obviously learned a lot. We’ve learned a lot about each other,” Callaway said prior to Sunday’s game, according to Tim Healey of Newsday. “If we ultimately get to where we want to get, these times are going to be very valuable to reflect on and learn from.
“We’d rather be winning games. But what has already happened has happened. We’re going to learn from it, move forward and try to do the best we can to go win a game today and moving forward.”
Callaway, who was formerly the Cleveland Indians pitching coach in the five years before minding the store for the Mets, never saw a losing season in his time there, and went to the playoffs in three of the five seasons.
This is new territory for Callaway and he is trying to work through it.
“I’m learning a little bit about that and what it takes to deal with that,” Callaway said. “It’s something that you can’t be prepared for. This is a stretch that not many teams go through. You just have to keep on plugging along.”
With the win Sunday to kick off the month of July, Mets outfielder Brandon Nimmo said the team is trying to stay positive.
“We’ve had some tough losses,” he said. “We’re trying to turn it around, create a different chemistry, kind of forget what we’ve done and create a new path.”
Regardless, Callaway said he hopes the Mets aren’t becoming numb to all the losing.
“You worry about that every day,” he said. “You come to the field, continue to work and try to make sure you put yourself in a good position. And then you continue to lose. It’s not acceptable.
“So we have to definitely monitor that and pay attention to it and make sure guys are motivated and continue to come here believing in themselves that they can get the job done.”
New York will look to take a quick two-game series from the Toronto Blue Jays starting Tuesday. They’ll have Zack Wheeler on the hill who has improved significantly this year.
