Mets lose again, can't catch up to the Guardians in 7-6 loss

Also, this talk of blowing up the Mets is silly...

What’s Up with the Mets? ⚾️

• The Mets lost again, this time by a score of 7-6 to the Guardians in Cleveland (box)

• Adrian Houser struggled again in his return to the rotation, allowing six runs over five innings

• The Mets offense came alive in support of Houser’s struggles - Mark Vientos, Jeff McNeil and Starling Marte all homered and the club went 4-for-8 with runners in scoring position, but they couldn’t catch up to the Guardians in the end

• Jake Diekman allowed a run in 0.2 IP and then proceeded to destroy a water cooler after his outing (video)

• The Mets have now lost 18 of their last 27 games and are hitting .225/.287/.346 while averaging 3.6 runs per game during that span

• Over the same 27 game span, the Mets have a 4.53 ERA, have issued 118 walks, allowed 25 home runs and are allowing 4.96 runs per game

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Injury Updates 🏥

• LHP Brooks Raley will undergo season-ending elbow surgery next week. It is unclear if he will require either Tommy John Surgery or the internal brace surgery

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Down on the Farm 🌾

• SS Jeremy Rodriguez (FCL Mets): 2-for-5, 2B, 2 RBI

• LHP Zach Thornton (Single-A St. Lucie): 4.2 IP, 2 ER, 6 H, 3 BB, 2 K

• RHP Jonah Tong (Single-A Brooklyn): 6.2 IP, I R, 4 H, 1 BB, 8 K

• C Kevin Parada (Double-A Binghamton): 1-for-3, 2B, RBI, R

• RHP José Buttó (Triple-A Syracuse): 6 IP, 2 H, 7 K

• INF Rylan Bannon (Triple-A Syracuse): 1-for-4, HR, 4 RBI, 2 R

• OF Luke Ritter (Triple-A Syracuse): 2-for-4, BB, 3 RBI, 2 R

BOX SCORES

FCL METS | STL | BRK | BNG | SYR

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Today’s Game 🗓

Match-up: Mets (21-27) Guardians (32-17)

Where: Progressive Field - Cleveland, OH

Starters: LHP José Quintana (1-4, 5.21 ERA) vs. RHP Triston McKenzie (2-3, 3.23 ERA)

When: 1:10 PM EDT

Where to Watch: SNY

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It’s simple - play better, coach better, develop better ✍️

Because the Mets stink, it’s natural for people to react and simply say the Mets should just blow the whole thing up and start this thing over.

Again.

I’m assuming that would entail trading Pete Alonso, Brandon Nimmo, Jeff McNeil, Starling Marte, Francisco Lindor, Edwin Díaz, and pretty much everyone who isn’t making the league minimum, right?

I’ll get into how impractical that all is in a second.

But truthfully, talk of breaking up the Mets is totally silly. They should break them up because we are angry they stink, again?

I mean, I don’t think it took a rocket scientist to look at this roster - even with JD Martínez added at the end of spring training - to know the club wasn’t going to be any good in 2024.

Hell, I’ve been saying that since the last time the Mets blew up their roster, which was last July. Billy Eppler also sort of said 2024 wouldn’t be great. So did Steve Cohen.

“A lot of dead money,” he told Jon Heyman of the New York Post last summer.

The problem is, both Mr. Cohen and David Stearns oversold this roster pretty much from the start of the winter, and would have everyone believe the Mets would be fine in 2024, it wasn’t a season during which they’re going to punt, and they have a chance at a playoff spot.

Now, I don’t think the Mets punted. At least not as far as I originally believed they would before the winter. I also don’t think that with the advent of the third wild card the Mets are truly out of anything.

At least not yet.

After all, despite all of this nonsensical play over the last month, they’re still only 2.5 games out of the final wild card spot. Despite being six games under .500, they’re still in a playoff race.

For how long remains to be scene because - and I hate to break it to everyone, again - this is not a playoff caliber roster.

My feeling coming into this season was that a best-case scenario meant this would a .500-ish club. I still think there’s a chance they can be .500. I still think there’s a chance they could be in a playoff race down the stretch of the season. The third wild card creates that opportunity.

But things never break right. They still don’t know when Kodai Senga is going to pitch, they’ve lost Brooks Raley for the year thanks to wear, tear and obvious overuse early in the year. They need a third baseman. They probably need a second baseman, they need at least two starting pitchers, another left-handed reliever, they won’t do a thing unless Edwin Díaz regains his mojo, and they’re getting nothing from behind the plate.

And that’s just this week. Seriously. These are not issues actual contenders have, at least not to this degree.

But look - it’s totally fine for someone like me who can assess a roster and listen to the words from the owner and then-GM from last summer. I can honestly say I didn't and still won’t drink the Kool-Aid being served at the bar by Stearns and Mr. Cohen.

Talk to me at the trade deadline. I maybe thirsty by then.

Speaking of the trade deadline, back to this notion of blowing it up.

The Mets have done that 15 times since around 1991. Yeah, that strategy has helped, hasn’t it? It has amounted to six playoff appearances, routinely failing to develop the prospects they’ve procured in those blow ups (I’ll throw them a bone or two for Zack Wheeler, Noah Syndergaard, and a few others), and always end up back in this conversation we are having right now.

Here’s an idea: Do more with what they have. They have a bloated payroll filled with players who simply aren’t producing. That goes for Alonso and Lindor, as well as many, many others.

They’re also paying too many people to not play for them, for what it’s worth.

But here’s the answer.

Play better, coach better, manage better, develop better. It really is that simple. There's no magic formula out there, and blowing up rosters, field staff and front offices doesn’t usually work, either.

Just ask the Mets about how that’s worked for them over the years.

Instead of trying to be the Dodgers or copying the cookbook other organizations use, perhaps the Mets should come up with their own way and be the envy of the league.

Look at the Guardians. They do this year in and year out with half the talent on paper and far less than that on their payroll. They’ve developed their own playing philosophy, their own coaching philosophy, their own player assessment philosophy, and their own culture which creates stability, calm and success top to bottom in their organization.

The Mets, meanwhile, have had nine general managers since Sandy Alderson stepped down the first time in 2018 (that includes the trio of John Ricco, JP Ricciardi and Omar Minaya at that time). They’ve also had five field managers during that time as well.

Not exactly a culture of stability if you ask me. And a big reason why they can’t get their organization on the rails.

Be a better organization. That’s the formula. Not blowing it up and then spending the mother load on free agents, again. Otherwise, it will just be a rinse/repeat exercise in a few years, again.

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Around the League 🚩

• Ranger Suárez spun a 10 strikeout gem over seven innings to help the Phillies to a 5-2 win over the Rangers

• The Astros kept their resurgence going with a 6-5 over the Angels, thanks to a Kyle Tucker walk-off home run

• The Cubs walked off the Braves in a 4-3 win at Wrigley Field

• Bobby Witt Jr. homered twice as the Royals routed the Tigers 10-3