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From a lack of situational hitting to mediocre outings from the top of the rotation, there has been plenty of blame to go around during the New York Mets recent skid. In a way, you almost expect those sorts of struggles from time to time and can excuse them as being part of the ebbs and flows of a baseball season. What isn’t as justifiable, however, is their recent all-around sloppy play. From baserunning mistakes to slip-ups in the field and overall lapses of attention and judgment, the Mets have suddenly become their own worst enemy. They’ve drawn the ire of many, including owner Steve Cohen, as a result, and it’s a trend that the team was previously unaccustomed to under manager Buck Showalter. Furthermore, it’s something that needs to be fixed immediately if they want to turn their season around.

The Mets’ disorganized ways were on full display on Wednesday night against the Yankees despite earning a win. In the seventh inning, Jeff McNeil attempted a double play in spite of Isaiah Kiner-Falefa’s speed and made an errant throw that Mark Vientos failed to stay in front of. The mishap allowed Josh Donaldson to score from second base and gave the Yankees a 2-1 lead. Kiner-Falefa then stole second and advanced to third after Francisco Álvarez made a poor throw of his own that trickled into center field, which set up a steal of home that made it 3-1. The Mets tied the game in the bottom half of the inning, but Brandon Nimmo ran the Mets out of a bases-loaded opportunity on a wide turn rounding second after failing to recognize that Vientos was held up at third base after a single to left field off the bat of Starling Marte.

The examples don’t stop there, either. The Mets’ sudden inability to turn a double play in their series against the Pittsburgh Pirates came back to haunt them more than once, and their shortcomings against the Atlanta Braves last week have been well-documented as well, among other instances. With a veteran roster and a manager like Showalter, who is notoriously detail-oriented, one would think the Mets could avoid falling into a rut like the one they’re currently entrenched in.

This current stretch is, in fact, rather uncharacteristic of the Mets under Showalter’s guidance, especially defensively. In 2022, the team committed the second-fewest number of errors in the league last season while also tying for second in fielding percentage and eighth for Outs Above Average.

The Mets’ metrics have taken a bit of a dive this season, though, and their recent play is partially to blame. For example, their Defensive Runs Saved and Outs Above Average totals are both below zero, while their Defensive Runs Above Average total ranks among the bottom five in the league as well.

The Mets’ drop-off doesn’t necessarily indicate that the team has been sloppy or careless all season long, and in a lot of ways, it’s simply a product of roster construction and underperformance. Regardless, executing the little things and being locked in from wire to wire every night has still proven to be a challenge in recent weeks. However, there’s reason to believe the Mets can climb their way out of the hole they’re in, as this style of play is out of the ordinary and isn’t indicative of the group of guys they have on the roster from a technical standpoint. Change is going to have to come sooner rather than later if they want to salvage their season though, and it remains to be seen how they respond moving forward.