It is getting worse, and can get a whole lot worse for the Mets!

The Mets have now lost eight straight following another stinker in LA. Plus, a positive injury update on Juan Soto but bad news for two other players

What’s Up with the Mets? ⚾️

• The Mets lost their eighth straight and were swept by the Dodgers after losing 8-2 on Wednesday night in LA (box)

• RHP Clay Holmes was good on the mound, allowing two earned runs on four hits and one walk while striking out four over five innings

• The bullpen wasn’t great, though, and the wheels fell off in the eighth with RHP Devin Williams giving up four earned runs on three hits, including a grand slam

• DH MJ Melendez was the only real bright spot, going 2-for-4 with a pair of doubles and a RBI in his Mets debut

• Other than that, the offense was a no-show again with the Mets managing just five hits all night and finishing 2-for-10 with RISP

• In all, the Mets were outscored 14-3 by the Dodgers in the three-game sweep, while recording a total of just 12 hits in the series

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Roster Moves 📰

• INF/OF Jared Young placed on the 10-day IL, retroactive to April 13, with a left meniscus tear

• OF MJ Melendez recalled from Triple-A Syracuse

• RHP Luis García released from the roster

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Injury Updates 🏥

• LF Juan Soto (right calf strain) ran again on Thursday and also took some live at-bats at Citi Field. He could return in time for the Mets’ next homestand

• DH/1B Jorge Polanco (left Achilles bursitis) was absent from the lineup on Thursday and will be evaluated in Chicago on Friday. A stint on the IL is a possibility

• INF/OF Jared Young will undergo surgery on a left meniscus tear and is expected to be out for 6-8 weeks

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Play of the Game 🤬

Given just how bad an overall game the Mets played on Thursday night, there were several contenders for this section.

And, without wanting to pile on, I have to go with yet another mental lapse by Francisco Lindor out in the field. In the bottom of the eighth with no outs and trailing by just two runs, the Mets had an opportunity for an easy out when Teoscar Hernandez hit a grounder to short.

However, for some strange reason, Lindor decided not to charge the ball, thus allowing Hernandez to hustle down the line for an infield hit. And that lack of urgency really came back to bite the Mets with Dalton Rushing hitting a grand slam later in the inning to blow the game out of reach.

Now, granted, the Mets were not doing anything offensively, so it is hard to say that they would have gotten back into the game, but at least they would have had a chance were it not for yet more sloppy play on the defensive side of the ball. This team is finding new ways to hurt themselves every single night at the moment.

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Down on the Farm 🌾

• RHP Christian Scott (Triple-A): 5.1 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 5 K, 1 HR

• CF Nick Morabito (No. 12 prospect, Triple-A): 1-for-4, 1 R, 1 RBI, 1 HR

• LHP Zach Thornton (No. 14 prospect, Double-A): 5 IP, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 6 K

• LF Vincent Perozo (High-A): 3-for-5, 1 RBI

• LHP Nicolas Carreno (Single-A): 3.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 7 K

• 1B Randy Guzman (No. 24 prospect, Single-A): 3-for-5, 3 R, 5 RBIs, 1 3B, 2 HR

• LF JT Benson (Single-A): 1-for-3, 1 R, 2 RBI, 2 BB, 1 2B

BOX SCORES

Single-A STL | High-A BRK | Double-A BRK | Triple-A SYR

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Today’s Game 🗓

The Mets are off today and will open up a three-game series against the Cubs in Chicago on Friday.

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The Mets need to lead with their actions, not empty platitudes ✍️

AP

It can’t get any worse than this.

Actually, it can.

Please, God, let’s hope not.

I say that because it sure feels as though the Mets have hit rock bottom. Or are approaching rock bottom at the very least.

We’re still in April, but this team has provided enough low moments in the first few weeks of the season to last an entire year.

They have been that bad.

It continued on Wednesday night with yet another lifeless display in LA on the way to being swept.

The Mets have now lost eight straight, with the losing showing no signs of ending. For some context, only twice this century have the Mets lost more consecutive games than this. This isn’t just a minor losing streak, this is turning into an alarming sample size that should have everyone reaching for the panic button.

And, as has been the case throughout this miserable streak, it is the way in which this team is losing games that is sparking the most concern.

While it is still early, there are no excuses for the kind of sloppy mistakes and game-costing mental errors we’re seeing every day. It doesn’t matter whether it is April or September; players should be turning up to the ballpark ready to handle and execute the most basic of fundamentals.

These Mets just aren’t doing that.

Wednesday provided yet more examples of that. Francisco Álvarez didn’t read a play correctly, heading back to first base and being thrown out at second on the force out. Had Alvarez assessed the situation correctly, then the Mets would have had two runners on with a chance to do some damage. Instead, the opportunity was lost, and all momentum was gone.

Then, in the eighth inning, Francisco Lindor was once again lacking defensively, showing a lack of urgency to allow Teoscar Hernandez to reach first and set the stage for a grand slam that effectively ended the game. Lindor’s continued struggles with the very basics of the game are more than concerning, but he’s hardly alone. Multiple Mets have been guilty of making stupid mistakes throughout this losing streak.

Of course, the biggest fatal flaw for this team remains the offense. The lineup managed just three runs and 12 hits against the Dodgers, and has now scored just three runs over the last 38 innings. They went down in order 15 times across the three games against LA, while they’ve also already been shutout five times. And, if that wasn’t bad enough, the Mets have already had four players who have endured hitless streaks of at least 20 at-bats.

While MJ Melendez did his best to add a spark in his debut for the team with two doubles last night, and while Carson Benge has shown some tangible signs of improvement, this lineup is just one big ugly mess.

Lindor and Bo Bichette both have to be a whole lot better at the top of the lineup. Others, like Marcus Semien, need to show some kind of consistency. And the lineup as a whole needs to start putting together some functional at-bats. The majority of the at-bats just look non-competitive. There are no excuses for this lineup, even without Juan Soto, to look this bad.

And therein lies the rub. While it looks like Soto will be back in time for when the Mets return home, this offense was hardly setting the world alight even with their best hitter healthy. As elite as he is, Soto alone won’t be able to fix whatever is so broken with this lineup. Again, others will need to figure out what’s going on and step up as quickly as possible, before things really get out of hand.

Manager Carlos Mendoza, who can’t be blamed for his players simply not hitting, said after last night’s game that his players are “pissed” and “frustrated” about how the season has gone so far. That’s all well and good, but words are just empty without meaningful actions. We’ve yet to see this group of players respond to adversity on the field where it really counts. We had enough words and empty promises from last year’s team, only to see the same old mistakes ultimately doom them on the field. Talk is cheap, after all.

USA Today Sports

This year’s team, and the lineup in particular, need to go out there and lead with their actions. That’s the only way they will earn the trust of the fans. Until then, they don’t deserve the benefit of the doubt. And, until then, it is perfectly reasonable to wonder if things will get worse from here on out.

You can’t win a pennant in April, but you can lose one. And, as the legendary quote goes, it is getting late early.

The Mets must prove how ticked off they really are by turning this around quickly. Otherwise, we may be about to discover that things could indeed actually get a whole lot worse.

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Around the League 🚩

• The Tigers signed rookie INF Kevin McGonigle to an eight-year, $150 million extension (MLB.com)

• Yankees RHP Gerrit Cole will start a rehab assignment with Double-A Somerset on Friday as he continues to ramp up from Tommy John Surgery (ESPN)

• OF Mike Trout homered for a third straight game but INF José Caballero’s two-run double sealed a 5-4 walk-off win for the Yankees over the Angels

• Rookie 1B Sal Stewart hit two homers and had six RBIs after just the first two innings of the Reds’ 8-3 win over the Giants

• RHP Bryce Elder lowered his season ERA to 0.77 after striking out seven during the Braves’ 6-3 win over the Marlins

• The Padres have now won seven straight after OF Jackson Merrill hit a walk-off double to help beat the Mariners, 7-6