There is no way to sugarcoat it, the New York Mets are struggling in every facet of the game right now. After winning two in a row to end their series against the Atlanta Braves, the Mets have dropped two straight, and the series, to the lowly Pittsburgh Pirates. One of the main themes of these recent struggles has been the regression of what was an elite pitching staff.
Through two games against Pittsburgh, the Mets have allowed 18 runs, nine in each game. On Friday, David Peterson, who has skirted by overperforming underlying metrics, posted his second-straight stinker. Then, on Saturday, Paul Blackburn, who has struggled all season long, saw his season ERA balloon to 7.71. Albeit as a result of a curious decision by manager Carlos Mendoza to leave him in after a lengthy rain delay.
Entering the series, the Pirates were averaging a league-worst 3.3 runs per game. However, they have come alive against a Mets pitching staff that, in 11 of their last 15 games, has allowed at least five runs. In nine of those games, New York has allowed at least seven runs. A staff that has lead the majors in ERA for most of the season, has been struggling mightily.
Another interesting aspect of this recent stretch, is a lot of damage the opposition is doing is coming in bunches. On Saturday, the Pirates struck for six in the eighth inning. On Friday, Pittsburgh struck for four in a big second inning. Seemingly, when it starts to go south for the Mets’ pitchers, it goes south fast.
With all that being said, the regression of the staff is not exactly surprising given what the team has endured recently. New York has lost starters Kodai Senga, Griffin Canning, and Tylor Megill, while Sean Manaea has yet to make his season debut and Frankie Montas just recently returned. Additionally, their bullpen has seen the departures, due to injury, of Danny Young, A.J. Minter and Max Kranick. These availability woes are exemplified with the statistic that the Mets used their 32nd different pitcher of the season on Saturday, which is second most in the majors, trailing only the Los Angeles Dodgers (34).
On the bright side, New York should expect some reinforcements at some point. Sean Manaea is continuing to rehab, Kodai Senga’s injury was not as severe as once thought, and Brooks Raley is slowly working his way back, also rehabbing. Not to mention, Dedniel Núñez looked like his 2024-self his last outing.
It was not realistic to ask the Mets’ pitching staff to pitch as well as they had all season. Especially given the injuries. Regardless, it certainly has been a tough stretch for the unit, and health is imperative for them to get back on track.
