Where Do The Mets Go From Here?
The Mets' season is sinking fast after losing their three month strangle hold on first place in the NL East after getting swept by the Phillies over the weekend.
The team needed to rise to the occasion against their division rivals, but they didn't show up.
Now, they not only find themselves 2.5 back of Philadelphia in the division, but in third-place, a half game behind the Braves as well.
The Mets have lost 9-of-11 games, and are 9-15 since coming back from the All-Star break. During this horrid stretch, they've lost a number of series to the lowly Pirates and Marlins, as well as the Reds, and the two teams who have now leaped frog them in the division in the Phillies and Braves. They've won only two series since the break, coming against the Reds in their first matchup in Cincinnati and the Blue Jays to kick off their last underwhelming 5-6 home stand.
But this downturn has been slowly building over the course of the last 51 games, which has seen the Mets go 21-30 since starting off the season at 35-25 through the first 60 contests. As a result, they are 56-55.
The Mets were in desperate need of reinforcements at the trade deadline, but came up mostly empty, beyond the acquisition of Javier Báez, which has proven thus far to not be enough. While the Phillies and Braves, who added significant pieces at the deadline to better their postseason chances, have both caught up to the Mets.
And what has been an issue all season long, which was covered up in the first half by dominant pitching, is the Mets' offense.
Despite playing in a hitter's park at Citizens Bank Park over the weekend, the Mets scored a mere total of five runs in three games. And it's not like the Phillies outscored them by all that much, they only had 12 runs of their own, but the Mets' bats failed to provide any type of run support for their pitching staff.
"The results are frustrating, yes, but I don’t think there’s any frustrating thing about it because we were never out of it, we never folded, we never gave up, we played hard," Pete Alonso said after Sunday's 3-0 loss to the Phillies. "I have no doubt in my mind that this is going to be far behind us. In a week from now, two weeks from now, no one is going to talk about this. It’s going to be over and done with."
Alonso has been one of the Mets' best hitters this season, but even he has fallen into a massive slump, going 0 for his last 21 at the plate.
However, Alonso is hardly the only player in the lineup that is struggling right now. Although Brandon Nimmo had the Mets' only two hits on Sunday, and continues to get on-base at an impressive rate, he is just 23 for his last 95 out of the leadoff spot.
Javier Báez is 6-for-32 with two home runs, three RBIs and 13 strikeouts across eight games since joining the Mets on July 31. Jeff McNeil, who was finally starting to look like himself at the dish again, is 4 for his last 22 as well. And Michael Conforto's nightmare season has continued to haunt him, as he is 8 for his last 43.
The Mets' catching duo in James McCann (10-for-45, .222/.255/.311 in last 15 games) and Tomas Nido (8-for-38, .211/.231/.263 in last 15 games), who are now splitting time behind the plate, have struggled offensively since the All-Star break. And so have the "Illar" brothers, as Kevin Pillar and Jonathan Villar are seemingly coming back down to earth after playing key roles in the first half.
Dom Smith is pretty much the lone Met that is swinging a semi-hot bat (7 for his last 24 with three RBIs), yet the team opted to sit him against lefty Ranger Suarez on Saturday in the middle game of their series with the Phillies, in spite of the fact that he is crushing southpaws this season (.327/.381/.446 in 101 at-bats).
On another note, we have often heard the Mets' players and coaches say they are on the verge of breaking out, but it has still yet to happen through 111 games, other than in small spurts -- and time is running out.
They have also struggled mightily against fastballs this season, which can be looked at as one of the root causes to their offensive woes.
Not even a trip from the boss himself, Steve Cohen, who showed up in Philadelphia to speak to the team prior to Sunday's latest loss, could ignite this group.
"I just visited the players in the clubhouse," tweeted team owner Steve Cohen before the game. "They are ready and in a good frame of mind for this game."
But the offense fell on their faces yet again, scratching across just two hits against Zack Wheeler, who tossed a complete game shutout versus his former team.
So where do they go from here?
The Mets have a much-needed day off on Monday to re-group, as they head back home to face the struggling Nationals, who have a record of 50-62.
While the Nats' gutted their roster at the trade deadline, things have been so bad for the Mets lately that playing weaker opponents hasn't even been a given for them due to their lack of offensive production.
And to make matters worse, they could be without one of their best hitters in Javier Báez, who is day-to-day after exiting Sunday's loss with left hip tightness.
Regardless, the Mets must find a way to capitalize against the Nationals, because come Friday, the schedule will get a lot tougher, as they are set to play 13 straight games against two NL West Goliaths in the Dodgers and Giants.
Their offense needed to wake up against the Phillies, but didn't step up. If they are unable to finally find their footing at the plate in this upcoming stretch, then they could be saying goodnight on the season.
"This is a special group," said manager Luis Rojas following the loss on Sunday. "We’re not going to stop saying that ever."
"We built this identity as a family this season and we are going to find our way through this."
Only time will tell if the Mets can survive this rut, but in the meantime, Rojas says they need the fans to support them.
"Fans should be supporting the guys right now," said Rojas. "These guys come in and work hard everyday and all of them need their support right now. We've had some tough losses and the players feel it."
"Nothing more than positive support will help the players play at their best, knowing that they have the fanbase behind them.... their cheering behind them is the best feeling for a player."
The Mets will have an opportunity to get the fans back behind them on this upcoming home stand. But they have to start playing a better brand of baseball, and they must start winning games again.
If not, the boos will only become louder because this team was supposed to be different this year, and through the first 60 games -- they were. But at the moment, it's beginning to feel like the same disappointment that the fans have endured season-after-season.
The 2021 Mets have been able to overcome a ton of adversity. But we shall find out if they can bounce back from their roughest stretch of the year.
For now, they are still alive, but if they don't wake up immediately, than their season will likely end without a playoff appearance for the fifth straight year.
