Mets lay an all-time Godzilla-sized egg in blowout loss to Pirates
New York endures another pitching nightmare in Pittsburgh. Plus, is this latest reality check something to really pay attention to?
What’s Up with the Mets? ⚾️
The Mets lost a 14-2 clunker to the Pirates in a night to forget at PNC Park on Friday (box)
RHP Luis Severino suffered his worst outing of the year, allowing seven earned runs on nine hits with two walks while striking out three in six innings. He also gave up three home runs in a single game for the first time this season
The bullpen continued to implode as LHP Jake Diekman allowed a grand slam on two hits with a walk
It got worse as RHP Ty Adcock entered the game and proceeded to give up six earned runs on five hits - including three homers and one grand slam - with two walks and a strikeout as the game became a total blowout
C Luis Torrens was called upon to step on the mound and record the final out in the eighth inning
2B Jeff McNeil had actually given the Mets the lead with a solo home run in the top of the third inning
1B Pete Alonso went 2-for-3 with a double and a run scored with the rest of the lineup unable to figure out Pirates rookie phenom RHP Paul Skenes, who had another electric start
It was another poor night for the offense with New York recording just five hits and going 0-for-5 with runners in scoring position
The Mets allowed a franchise-record tying seven home runs in a single game on the way to a third consecutive loss. They have now dropped to two games below .500
The good news is RHP Edwin Díaz will be eligible to pitch on Saturday after completing a 10-game suspension for sticky stuff
Pete Alonso revealed that he is open to taking part in a fourth consecutive Home Run Derby, but will wait until he finds out his All-Star status (NY Post)
Roster Moves 🗞️
RHP Matt Festa elected for free agency after being DFA’d on Wednesday
Who’s Cold 🥶
LHP Jake Diekman has now given up one or more earned runs in four of his last five starts
The Mets offense has now scored a grand total of two runs in the last two games, managing just six hits in that span
Since June 24, the day Edwin Díaz began his suspension, the Mets bullpen has posted an 8.37 ERA in 33.1 IP. They’ve allowed 42 hits, 35 total runs (31 earned), eight home runs and 18 walks with only 30 strikeouts
Down on the Farm 🌾
RHP Tylor Megill (Triple-A): 3.1 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 5 BB, 7 K
C Hayden Senger (Triple-A): 1-for-3, 3 RBI, 1 BB, 1 2B
RHP Shintaro Fujinami (Double-A): 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 K
OF Nick Morabito (No. 26 prospect, High-A): 2-for-4, 3 R, 1 RBI, 1 BB, 1 3B
BOX SCORES
Single-A STL | High-A BRK | Double-A BNG | Triple-A SYR
Today’s Game 🗓
Match-up: Mets (42-44) at Pirates (42-45)
Where: PNC Park - Pittsburgh, PA
Starters: LHP David Peterson (3-0, 3.51 ERA) vs. LHP Bailey Falter (4-6, 3.87 ERA)
When: 4:05 PM EDT
Where to Watch: SNY
What to make of this latest grim reality check for the Mets… ✍️
Remember all those good vibes?
Yeah, they seem an ancient relic of the distant past now.
The Mets have lost three straight and are now 3.5 games back of the final wild card spot.
Okay, so the sky isn’t falling just yet and there is still a lot of baseball to be played until we get to the trade deadline. If the Mets are able to recover and win this series in Pittsburgh, then the last three losses will largely be forgotten.
However, if you look at the bigger picture, it is fair to wonder if this latest reality check is actually serving as a grim reminder that this is just who the 2024 Mets are.
After all, they have lost five of their last seven games now, including blowing a lead in four of those five losses.
Maybe, just maybe, these Mets are nothing better than a .500 team who will take you on a wild rollercoaster ride with a myriad of exhilarating highs and crushing lows.
They were horrible in May, playing fundamentally bad baseball while being worse than below-average in most areas. They then followed that up with a scorching hot June, where they were one of the best teams in baseball and an unstoppable offensive juggernaut.
It now seems like this team is hitting another skid although, again, the story will be a lot different if the Mets can win at least two of the next three in Pittsburgh.
But, given how New York is currently losing games with a gassed bullpen that is dangerously close to imploding altogether, you can’t help but question if buying at the deadline is the right approach.
For instance, the 14-2 clunker to the Pirates on Friday hit a lot harder.
It was an unwelcome reminder of just how awful this team was as recently as May. It also hammered home that the Mets are light on depth and one trade deadline won’t solve all of their many flaws.
So, with that in mind, would it really be a wise move for the front office to give up prospect capital for bullpen help just so this team can finish a few games above .500 and sneak into the playoffs? After all, as our very own Linda Surovich detailed on Friday, bullpen help is going to be expensive and the market won’t exactly come into focus right up until the deadline given the sheer amount of teams still technically alive in the playoff race.
As such, it seems rather foolish to jeopardize the future and make a significant dent in the farm system in order to just steal a wild card berth.
Now, I do realize I’m contradicting myself somewhat given in my last newsletter I pounded my fist on the table and declared that David Stearns owes it to this team to be aggressive at the trade deadline.
However, things change on a minute-to-minute basis in baseball and this last little stretch should serve as a sobering reminder that the 2024 Mets are a very flawed entity and all focus should be on the long-term future.
On the flip-side to that argument, if the Mets can flip one of José Quintana and Sean Manaea for some bullpen help, then that would address a real key need without having to dip into the farm system. Although, given how fragile starting pitching can be coupled with the fact that we don’t know what we’re going to get from Kodai Senga, that would be a case of robbing Peter in order to pay Paul. And that approach could come back to bite this team on the butt down the stretch run.
There is also a compelling argument to be made that DJ Stewart needs to be replaced with a more athletic, higher-upside option. But, again, the price to acquire any kind of help could well be steep given how flush the market will be with buyers.
And, given that it would be a minor miracle if this bullpen even survives before we get to the trade deadline, giving up any kind of prospect capital for this year would seem a major waste.
Again, if the front office can add more bodies to the bullpen without weakening their prospect pipeline, then great. Because, playoff team or not, the Mets need proven big league relievers just to get through the rest of the year.
However, with a red-hot June being sandwiched in-between a disastrous May and a less than ideal start to July, maybe this is the reality check we need that the 2024 New York Mets are a middling .500 team at best, and doing anything other than making marginal improvements would be unwise to say the least. Especially when we’re meant to be in the easy part of the schedule right now.
I think we really need to pay attention to this current reality check and, if the wheels continue to fall off and the bullpen continues to blow leads and games over the next couple of weeks, then we’ll need to adjust our expectations for the Mets this year once again.
Maybe June was just a tantalizing fluke after all…
Around the League 🚩
Phillies INF Alex Bohm confirmed he will participate in the 2024 MLB Home Run Derby in Arlington
The Yankees’ skid continued with the Red Sox winning their series opener in the Bronx in extra-innings after being just one strike away from defeat
Jose Miranda set a Twins record on Friday with a hit in his 10th straight at-bat over a span of two-plus games
The Padres and Diamondbacks combined for nine runs in the ninth inning, with Manny Machado’s walk-off homer eventually winning a wild game for San Diego
Will Smith had himself a night for the Dodgers, becoming just the fourth catcher in franchise history with a three-homer game as LA beat the Brewers, 8-5
Trea Turner blasted two home runs, including a mammoth 459-foot shot, as the Phillies extended their lead in the NL East to 10 games
I was pleasantly surprised when the Mets had such a great June. I'm open to thinking it was misleading. Things tend to even out. The current Yankee problems, for instance, balances things out after they had a ridiculously good start.
The wild card race is starting to look more stable. The Padres and the Cards are a few games over .500. It is not just a bunch of mediocrity and the Braves. The lead is small enough that it might change, but for now, it looks like the also ran wild card teams are slipping away.
So, let's see how they do in July, like the last mediocre July clinched the decision to be sellers. Either way, long term success should be key.
The possibility of reaching the playoffs or winning one wild card series in not worth losing key players. I think a good path to take in the end very well be to trade Severino.
Anyway, questionable use of the pen in the last few games. The manager stretched two starters too long & then it was up to the B team (especially Diekman) to keep it close. And, Houser wound up pitching one inning when in more than one game two innings would have been helpful.
Happy to see so many of you realizing what I've been saying here for weeks; this is not a playoff team! Now, let Stearns continue the job of rebuilding the organization from the bottom up to achieve sustained success!