The Mets are not going through it; they are in a full-blown tailspin that undid all of the good work that made them one of Major League Baseball’s best teams over the first two months of the season.
Having lost 13 of their last 16 games, they were utterly embarrassed by one of the worst teams in baseball, the Pittsburgh Pirates, in a three-game sweep. Sunday afternoon’s 12-1 loss capped off the miserable display in which they were outscored 30-4.
“It’s frustrating, and we are all frustrated, obviously,” manager Carlos Mendoza said. “Not gonna lie, we’re better than that, and they know that. It’s a tough stretch, but we’ve got to be better. It starts with me.”
It took just two-and-a-half weeks for the Mets’ five-game lead atop the National League East to evaporate. They entered Monday’s off day 1.5 games back of the Philadelphia Phillies, focused on a bit of rest that they hope can do a world of good.
“It’s a tough stretch for sure,” star shortstop Francisco Lindor said. “Hopefully, getting the day off, the mental day off, and getting away from the field, we can come back and get back on the horse.”
But if the last-place team in the National League Central dominated them, what will the second-place team in that same division do?
The Milwaukee Brewers visit Citi Field for a three-game set beginning Tuesday. They are in red-hot form, having won eight of their last 10. Since June 10, they are 12-5.
“We believe in [our] guys,” Mendoza said. “Off day [Monday], and then we’ve got another good team coming into town in the Brewers. They’re playing well, so we’ve got to bring our best game.”
Things have gotten so bad that a team meeting was held following Saturday’s 9-2 loss, where things were “just put out there,” according to veteran outfielder Brandon Nimmo.
“There’s a sense of yeah, we’re frustrated that we’re not winning, but at the end of the day, it’s just part of the adversity that we’re dealing with right now,” Lindor said. “We’ve got to stick together and play as hard as we can to come out of it. Hopefully, once we’re out of it, we don’t go back to something like this.”
