Mets’ Big Guns Continue To Struggle At The Plate

The New York Mets have struggled to deliver in run-scoring opportunities throughout this homestead, averaging just 2.2 runs per game over their last five contests. While that did not hurt them in their three-game sweep over the Philadelphia Phillies, it has come back to bite them in the first two games against the Toronto Blue Jays. The Mets had multiple opportunities with runners on base in Saturday’s 2-1 loss, yet they failed to get the big hit they so desperately needed.

It was a tough game for Francisco Lindor especially, who went 0-for-4 with three strikeouts. The shortstop looked overmatched against Blue Jays’ starter José Berríos, who did a wonderful job of mixing his pitches. Lindor had his best at-bat against reliever Trevor Richards in the bottom of seventh inning, but his deep fly ball to center field was caught by Kevin Kiermaier. 

The four-time All-Star is down to a .212 batting average and a .691 OPS in 59 games this season. “It’s a constant fight that I’m fighting uphill, I’m in it right now. It’s frustrating, because I’m not getting the results that I want, but I’ve just got to trust the process, fight the fight, continue to walk the line,” Lindor said. He is now 2-for-28 with seven strikeouts over the last seven games, slashing .071/.133/.286 during that stretch.

Lindor is not the only one who is in the midst of a rough stretch. Pete Alonso is struggling to produce competitive at-bats. The 28-year-old slugger was 0-for-4 against the Blue Jays on Saturday, dropping his batting average to .231 for the season. Brett Baty had a tough day against the breaking stuff of Berríos, going 0-for-3 with three strikeouts and a walk.

Credit certainly has to be given to the Blue Jays’ starters, as Chris Bassitt and Berríos have been remarkable in the first two games of the series. But the Mets’ struggles at the plate have to be mentioned, especially recently. It is never good to have offensive contributors mired in a slump. It is even worse to have arguably your best two players – Alonso and Lindor – both enduring extremely tough stretches.

The “baby Mets” have come in and provided some life to the offense over the last six weeks, but that has run out as of late. As mentioned, Baty has been struggling immensely, striking out a lot. While Francisco Alvarez (0-for-12 over his last four games) and Mark Vientos (.172 batting average and .469 OPS) are also currently in a bad way at the plate in their own right.

While the starting rotation has been good and the bullpen has shown some improvements, the lineup needs to pick it up sooner versus later. Otherwise, the Mets are going to have a hard time keeping up in the playoff race.