Following a brutal series sweep to the Chicago Cubs, the Mets’ lineup has sunk to historic lows explains Sal Cacciatore of Newsday.
“The Mets are hitting .232 as a team, and only three teams in the last 30 years have posted a worse batting average. It also is the fifth-worst mark in franchise history, ahead of only the 1968 (.228), 1972 (.225), 1965 (.221) and 1963 (.219) Mets teams.”
“Their .297 on-base percentage is the sixth worst in club history, and though the team’s offense is partially suppressed by both its pitcher-friendly home ballpark and the low offensive environment leaguewide (the National League batting average is .253 this season, ranking 109th in the 140-year history of the league), it still looks poor after taking these contextual factors into account.”
New York’s lineup ranks 27th in the MLB in runs scored. They also rank 29th in average, slugging percentage and OPS.
“I talked to ‘Cuddy’ during the game,” Collins said. “I asked him, ‘In all the years and places you’ve been, have you ever seen anything like this?’ He said, ‘Never.’ ”
Despite all of these frustrations, Collins is taking a positive approach and is trying to get the team to loosen up. (Kieran Darcy, ESPN NY)
“I just told ‘em inside — no disrespect to anybody in this room — but we gotta lighten it up around here,” Collins said. “They are so tense and so tight, they are so worried about making a big out instead of walking up there like they’re gonna get a hit. We need to lighten it up.
“So I said, just for heaven’s sake, play the game with some fun, with some energy, with some enthusiasm. Because ultimately that’s what’s gonna make it fun to come to the ballpark every day.”
With the Mets facing the league’s toughest schedule in July, the season is in danger of spiraling out of control.
The Mets’ arduous stretch begins this weekend against the first place Dodgers, who will send two Cy Young Award Winners to the mound with Clayton Kershaw and Zack Greinke.
“We’ve beaten Max Scherzer twice, we’ve beaten some great pitchers in this league,” Collins said. “We can beat anybody — we just gotta believe we can.”
