Christian Scott's Long-Ball Struggles Add to Mets' Long-Shot Playoff Hopes

Christian Scott became the latest Mets starter to struggle with the long ball against the Cardinals on Thursday, but the bats were able to rally for a series-salvaging win. The Mets' pitching was roughed up the entire series by the Cardinals' bats, totaling 20 runs allowed across the three games. Scott fared the best of any of their starters, which was not exactly a high bar to cross.

In 4 2/3 innings of work, Scott allowed four earned runs on seven hits with a walk, but most notably allowed a staggering three homers in the first two innings. For Scott, this was his first truly tough outing in a while, after going at least five innings and allowing just one run in his past three times out. He was able to settle in after the second inning and save himself from a blowout performance and a potential sweep by the Cardinals.

New York Mets' starting pitcher Christian Scott struggled against the Cardinals on Thursday, with a 4.2 IP, 7 H, 4 ER, 1 BB, 6 SO, and 3 HR. Scott had a 14.8% swinging-strike rate and a 37% ball rate on Thursday against the Cardinals. That was his 3rd game with 15 or more whiffs… pic.twitter.com/NUMgg0G5zf
— Corbin (@corbin_young21) June 12, 2026

Not every Met starter has been able to settle in as Scott did on Thursday, and a lot of it is due to a propensity to give up the long ball. In total, the Cardinals smashed seven homers against the Mets in just three games, a staggering rate that is becoming a major issue for the Mets' staff. If they still have their eyes set on crawling back into the National League playoff picture.

Mets' outlook after Christian Scott's poor showing vs. Cardinals

The Mets started a three-game set with the MLB-leading Braves at Citi Field on Friday, and spotty starting pitching could be enough to lead the Mets into an uphill battle against their divisional rival. A 1-5 homestand would likely sink their season and could be the final blow that decides which direction the 2026 trading deadline will take President of Baseball Operations David Stearns and his team.

At the time of writing (Friday afternoon), the Mets are now back to eight games under .500, a mark that they have been hovering around for a few weeks now. This puts the team six games behind the final wild card spot in the loss column, which is just enough to keep the Mets in the playoff hunt for the time being. It felt as though they were on a nice run heading home, but two more losses pushed them back down the standings, highlighting a major recurring issue with the team of late.

Carlos Mendoza in the dugout. — The Mets must get their act together before a potential playoff berth slips out of reach. | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

The Mets have been unable to string together an extended stretch of success after going 16-12 in May and now 4-5 to start June. Three games over .500 in that stretch is perfectly fine, but the Mets do not have the time to slow-roll their way back into the playoff hunt. The quickest way to get fully back into the chase is to rip off a winning streak, but the Mets' starting pitching hasn't done enough to help them string wins together.

If the Mets are going to get back into the hunt, they'll need a handful of wins in a row, and they'll need their pitching to keep the ball in the yard to be able to do that. The clock is running down on the Mets and their return to the playoff hunt, and giving up too many home runs could still be what is keeping them from that conversation.

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