Mets manager Carlos Mendoza could not sum up the struggles of his lineup any better.
“We’re going through it right now,” he said. “No doubt about it.”
His team had just been shut out by the Boston Red Sox on Tuesday night at Fenway Park, which was New York’s fifth loss in its last six games. Struggles that seemed isolated to just runners in scoring position have now bled into all situations.
Over their last seven games heading into Wednesday night’s series finale in Boston, the Mets had not scored more than three runs once and were shut out twice during that span.
With it came the Mets’ first three-game losing streak of the season, making them the final team in Major League Baseball this season to drop three straight.
“This is a long time to go without losing three in a row,” outfielder Brandon Nimmo said, as he began to crack a smile. “Last year, it was the first three games, right? We accomplished something by getting past that point, so that’s great. We have a lot of veteran guys here who understand it’s a long season.”
The big boppers in the lineup have all been ice cold at the same time, which usually spells doom for any big-league ballclub.
Pete Alonso is batting .157 (8-for-51) with a .416 OPS, zero home runs, and four RBI in his last 13 games. He has not homered in his last 52 at-bats, which is inching toward the longest drought of his career.
Francisco Lindor is 2-for-25 in his last seven games with a pair of RBI. His seemingly annual season-starting slump was skipped this year, but appears to have found him in mid-May.
Juan Soto, whose every move is exhaustively dissected amidst his unremarkable start to life in Queens, is batting .156 with one RBI in his last nine games.
Nimmo, who has often been Mendoza’s first choice in the No. 4 spot in the lineup, is 0-for-his-last-15 dating back to his last at-bat in Friday’s Subway Series opener against the Yankees. Mark Vientos is 2-for-his-last-16 since then, too.
“I haven’t gone through a season where we haven’t gone through something like this at some point, at multiple points,” Nimmo said. “I’m not worried… We’ve got a lot of veteran guys here who I’m not worried about. This happens every single year. In my mindset, I’m a little more optimistic.”
There does not seem to be much concern throughout the rest of the clubhouse, too, which is understandable given the star power this team possesses.
As far as track record, we’ve got too many good players in this room. Understanding that at some point throughout the season, you’re going to go through stretches like this. It happens. We have to continue to fight, continue to work, continue to stay positive. I know it might not sound right, but we have to keep fighting and keep our heads up.”
