Mets starting pitching problems emerge as they get swept by the Rays
Questions about sustainability have arisen over the Mets greatest strength so far in 2025
What’s up with the Mets? ⚾
The Mets disappointingly pulled a no-show on Sunday, getting blanked 9-0 by the Rays as Tampa Bay completed the weekend sweep in Queens (box)
RHP Griffin Canning started for the Mets and was hit hard, serving up six earned runs on four hits and five walks in just 4.1 innings
Rays’ RHP Shane Baz meanwhile befuddled the Mets for 6.2 innings, allowing just three hits
Luisangel Acuna got a rare start at shortstop and was the only Met to collect two hits
Injury Updates 🏥
LHP Sean Manaea (Right oblique strain) struggled in a rehab start with High-A Brooklyn on Sunday, going just 2.1 innings and allowing four earned runs on five hits and two walks. He threw 56 pitches.
3B Mark Vientos (strained hamstring) will begin a rehab assignment on Tuesday
Roster Moves 📰
RHP Justin Garza optioned to Triple-A Syracuse
RHP Ty Adcock recalled from Triple-A Syracuse
Play of the Game ⭐️
Sunday’s game was never really a true contest as the Rays had it all the way, so coming up with a singular play of the game is a little tricky. I’m going to go back to the 2nd inning when Jonathan Aranda and Jake Mangum both walked to start the frame. That brought Jose Caballero up who dropped down a bunt hit that loaded the bases with nobody out and set the stage for a three run Tampa Bay frame. There was miscommunication between Griffin Canning and Brett Baty on the play which made the whole thing worse for the Mets, and the Rays simply never looked back after that.
Down on the Farm 🌾
OF Drew Gilbert (No. 9 Prospect, Triple-A): 1-for-2, 2 RBI, BB, SB
RHP Jonah Tong (No. 4 Prospect, Double-A): 5 IP, 1 ER, 2 H, 0 BB, 5 K
OF Carson Benge (No. 3 Prospect, High-A): 2-for-5, 2 RBI, 2B
BOX SCORES
Low-A STL | High-A BRK | Double-A BNG | Triple-A SYR
Today’s Game 🗓️
The Mets are off today and will open a series in Atlanta tomorrow
Starting rotation concerns are front and center as the Mets begin a slate against the NL East… ✍️
Well, that was an embarrassing weekend.
The Mets experienced cracks in their starting pitching, blew a big lead on Friday, and were generally non-competitive in the final two games of their series against the Rays, who had their own flaws, but the Mets were unable to exploit them.
For a team who had been generally dominant at home coming into the weekend, they sure were a bunch of no-shows this weekend top to bottom. They experienced being swept for the first time in 2025.
And it all seemed to be on the heels of Kodai Senga going down with a mild hamstring strain last week. They didn’t get good starts from any of Tylor Megill or Griffin Canning, both of whom have become serious concerns over the last month due to ineffectiveness and now questions about sustainability.
The Mets do have alternatives on the horizon coming, but it remains to be seen how that might look over the next little while. The Mets don’t seem to be convinced of Frankie Montas’ ability to provide immediate value in the rotation, Sean Manaea is still in the early stages of his rehab assignment, and we really don’t know when Kodai Senga will be back right now.
So, there’s some concerning uncertainty with this rotation, something which had been a strength coming into the weekend but with continued questions about sustainability.
Anyway, starting tomorrow, New York will play ten games in ten days against their two biggest rivals, the Atlanta Braves and Philadelphia Phillies, in games that will surely be high intensity.
Despite the weekend of frustration with the pesky Rays, the Mets still finished play on Sunday 2.5 games ahead of Philadelphia for first place in the NL East and still maintain the best record in the entire National League. The Braves have struggled mightily for much of the first half but always have to be considered dangerous, despite currently sitting 13 games back in the division.
Lefty David Peterson gets the ball in Atlanta tomorrow night coming off the best outing of his professional career, and he will be tasked with setting the tone for a week and a half in which the Mets have a real opportunity to put the hammer down in the division.
Obviously, Kodai Senga’s recent injury puts a damper on the depth of the Mets pitching staff, but the way Peterson and Clay Holmes especially have been able to step up gives New York confidence that it will be able to survive his absence.
Of greater concern at the moment is the offense, which scored in just four of the 27 innings against Tampa Bay this weekend.
The Mets’ best players—I’m looking at you, Francisco Lindor, Juan Soto, and Pete Alonso—simply have to rise to the occasion in these games that take on more importance than typical midsummer contests.
The Mets have played like the class of the NL East for the first two and a half months in 2025. They haven’t seen the Braves yet, but swept the Phillies in the first rodeo with Philadelphia.
This next stretch represents a chance to show both of those teams that New York is not letting them back into the division hunt.
Around the League 🚩
The Red Sox traded superstar third baseman Rafael Devers to San Francisco in a rare mid-June blockbuster trade
Baltimore crushed three home runs and pummeled the Angels at home by the score of 11-2
Nick Castellanos blasted a grand slam and Alec Bohm connected on a two run shot in the Phillies 11-4 win over the Blue Jays
Braxton Fulford drove in five runs for the Rockies as Colorado embarrassed the Braves 10-1 in Atlanta
Brayan Bello fired seven scoreless innings in the Red Sox 2-0 blanking of the Yankees
This weekend wasn’t just a blip—it felt like a harbinger. Even if the pitching stabilizes, the clutch hitting (or lack thereof) is the real red flag. The Mets aren't stringing hits together—it's rare to see even two in a row—and even the heavy hitters like Soto, Alonso, and Lindor have had their share of unclutch moments.
But the real black hole? The bottom of the lineup. They’ve been consistently abysmal with runners in scoring position, many batting under .200 in those situations. You’re not going to win playoff-type games when the back half of the order is basically an automatic out.
Yes, the team has shown dominance at times. Yes, they’re still in first. But that sweep by a flawed Rays team, at home no less, exposed the fault lines. The next ten games against the Braves and Phillies are going to say a lot—if the Mets can’t find timely hits, especially from the stars, they might be watching the postseason from the couch again.
Tough stretch coming up, and we're not going to be solid on the bump again until maybe mid-July. We had better hit.