Mets' historic month of offensive production was ruined by pitching staff

The New York Mets' offense found a groove last month, but it was undone by poor performances on the mound.

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At points this year, the New York Mets' lineup was questioned because of some inconsistencies at the plate.

A few holes certainly existed at points during the season. Francisco Alvarez struggled early on, was demoted to Triple-A, and got injured once he got hot. Center field has been a black hole virtually all campaign, while third base and second base has been a revolving door of Brett Baty, Ronny Mauricio, Luisangel Acuña, Mark Vientos and Jeff McNeil.

Despite those struggles, manager Carlos Mendoza found something that clicked in August. Players got settled into roles and started performing at a much higher level, such as the red-hot Vientos. A lineup anchored by stars Juan Soto, Francisco Lindor and Pete Alonso started to produce the eye-popping numbers that were expected.

Read More: Mets offense being carried by historic tear from Juan Soto

August ended up being the most productive offensive month in the Mets' franchise history. As shared by SNY on X, the 177 runs scored and 53 home runs were both franchise records. The team hit .285 and recorded an impressive .866 OPS.

The Mets' offense in August:

🔸 177 runs scored (franchise record)
🔸 53 home runs (franchise record)
🔸 .285 AVG
🔸 .866 OPS

Despite this, the Mets went 11-17 in the month. pic.twitter.com/Sowv9guC3y

— SNY Mets (@SNY_Mets) September 1, 2025

With offensive output of that level, one would assume that the team rolled through the month. After a lull in July, it was exactly what the doctor ordered to help get things back on track. Unfortunately, that was not the case.

Mets pitching staff has been major letdown in recent weeks

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Despite the incredible production from the lineup, New York actually lost ground in the standings. They went 11-17, with the only true highlight of the month being their sweep against the Philadelphia Phillies. That built some much-needed positive momentum and got the Mets back in the National League East race, but it was squandered immediately by losing three out of four games to the Miami Marlins.

The culprit for the downswing in August was the pitching staff. Outside of Nolan McLean and Jonah Tong, two right-handed pitchers who made their MLB debuts that month, the starting rotation has been poor. David Peterson, their most reliable starter the first four months of the season, had a 6.68 ERA in six August starts.

Sean Manaea has not been able to recapture the magic he had in 2024. Signed to a three-year, $75 million deal to be the ace this year, he has struggled mightily. Kodai Senga hasn't finished six innings in a start since June 6. He has not looked the same since returning from a 28-day stint on the injured list.

Clay Holmes has taken a bit of a step back in July and August, but that isn’t all too surprising. His transition back to being a starting pitcher after being a relief pitcher has gone better than most would have predicted. Nonetheless, some regression was expected as he is throwing more innings this season than he has the last two years combined.

Mets bullpen not getting the job done

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Lack of length from the starting rotation has been a major problem, and it has put immense pressure on the bullpen to pick up the slack. Looking worn down at times, New York’s bullpen leads MLB with 85 meltdowns this year.

Ryan Helsley, one of their big trade deadline acquisitions, has been disastrous. He has a 9.58 ERA in 10.1 innings and could be tipping his pitches; it is something he is actively working through to try and regain the form he showed earlier in the year with the St. Louis Cardinals.

Gregory Soto has also had a negative impact, recording -0.1 bWAR in 13.1 innings despite a 2.03 ERA. Fortunately, Tyler Rogers has gotten the job done with a 0.6 bWAR in 16 outings and 16.1 innings pitched, remaining the workhorse he was while pitching for the San Francisco Giants. Regardless, all three of the Mets' newly acquired relievers have to perform at a high level to create the bridge to lights out closer Edwin Diaz.

The pieces are there for the Mets to make a deep postseason run. But it will come down to the pitching staff being able to perform consistently in support of an offense that is peaking at the right time.