They were the no-urgency Mets on Thursday

The Mets failed to sweep the series in Colorado as the offense went dead at Coors Field

What’s Up with the Mets? ⚾️

• The Mets failed to sweep the Rockies falling 6-2 in the finale (box)

• RHP Christian Scott was solid again but did not make it through the fifth inning. His final line was 4.2 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 6 K

• RHP Austin Warren did not give up any runs in 1.1 innings of work

• RHP Craig Kimbrel was awful in his eighth inning appearance. He put three runners on and gave up a grand slam before getting an out

• RF Austin Slater got the start and went 2-for-3 with a run scored

• 1B Mark Vientos had another rough day at the plate. He went 0-for-4 and grounded into a crucial double play that stranded a runner on third

• The team went 1-for-9 with runners in scoring position and left seven men on base

---

---

The Just Mets Podcast 🎙️

In the latest midweek edition of The Just Mets Podcast, Rich reacts to the team winning a series vs the Rockies but ending with a disappointing loss in the finale.

SUBSCRIBE: YouTube | Apple Podcasts | Spotify

---

Play of the Game ⭐️

With the game tied 2-2 in the eighth inning, Carlos Mendoza turned to Craig Kimbrel to pitch. The first two batters reached with hits, and then he walked the next batter to load the bases. In his postgame comments, Kimbrel said he thought he got a strikeout on a check swing call, but no swing was called, which led to the walk. One batter later, he gave up the grand slam that cost them the game. Kimbrel was still in trouble and had gotten 0 outs up to that point, so it’s hard to say that that call changed the game, but he did get the next three batters out after the home run.

---

Down on the Farm 🌾

• CF A.J. Ewing (No. 3 prospect, Triple-A): 1-for-5, RBI

• 1B Christian Arroyo (Triple-A): 2-for-4, R, RBI

• 3B Colin Houck (High-A) 1-for-4, R, 2 RBI, K

BOX SCORES

Single-A SLU | High-A BRK | Double-A BNG | Triple-A SYR

---

Today’s Game 🗓

Match-up: Mets (14-23) at Diamondbacks (17-19)

Where: Chase Field - Phoenix, AZ

Starters: RHP Nolan McLean (1-2, 2.97 ERA) vs. RHP Ryne Nelson (1-3, 6.61 ERA)

When: 9:40 PM EDT

Where to Watch: WPIX

---

Where is the urgency with the Mets? ✍️

After how badly the Mets started the season, winning series is certainly better than not winning series, and on this road trip, they have now taken two straight from both the Angels and the Rockies.

Make no mistake - that can only be considered progress since the last series they won was against the Twins on April 21-23, and they had three series wins total before these last two, and two of those three came within the first two weeks of the season.

But is what they have done to the Angels and Rockies enough?

They suffered a frustrating extra-inning loss against the Angels where the offense again failed to score the ghost runner, which ended up preventing the sweep, and now they failed to sweep the Rockies after the offense browned out on Thursday.

This is the lineup Carlos Mendoza sent out for their series finale in Denver:

1. Juan Soto - DH

2. Bo Bichette - 3B

3. Mark Vientos - 1B

4. Austin Slater - RF

5. Marcus Semien - 2B

6. Andy Ibáñez- LF

7. Francisco Álvarez - C

8. Tyrone Taylor - CF

9. Vidal Bruján - SS

Yes, Austin Slater hit cleanup for the $400 million Mets, a week or so after they signed him off the waiver wire. That’s a tough pill to swallow.

That’s just not a lineup that inspires much confidence. They were facing former Met LHP Jose Quintana again, so Carlos Mendoza went with a righty-heavy lineup, and that’s understandable from a matchup perspective, but that doesn’t mean he fielded the most competitive configuration possible in a situation where the Mets really needed to.

And, that meant sitting Carson Benge, who is hitting .302/.348/.512 with two home runs and seven RBIs over his last 15 games. He has been one of the team’s hottest hitters and undoubtedly one of the best defensive outfielders in the game, and he didn’t get the start in a stadium where outfield defense is paramount.

Getty Images

To be fair, he is hitting just .182/.357/.182 with 0 home runs and 1 RBI against southpaws this season, but he really hasn’t been given a chance to face them with regularity. He only has 14 plate appearances against lefties this season, which is a detriment to his growth as a baseball player and does not help the team figure out if he can hit lefties.

Simply put, starting an outfield of Ibáñez, Taylor, and Slater when they are already so far behind in the standings does not suggest this team is serious about turning things around. Benge did eventually get into the game and got a hit, but that seems like too little, too late to me, especially for an offense that lacks any sort of consistency, and that’s putting it nicely.

Another example of that is how Mendoza deployed the bullpen on Thursday.

For instance, Brooks Raley and Luke Weaver both pitched in the game before the finale, but that came after the snow day where the team enjoyed a day off. Not turning to one of them or just leaving Adam Warren in the game, who was cruising, is another example of an extreme lack of urgency with this team. Instead, he turned to Craig Kimbrel, who is now 0-2 with a 7.56 ERA in 8.1 innings pitched. He’s probably closer to a DFA than an effective pitcher at this point, and this is who they had pitching in the most critical inning of the game.

Even so, the team is currently 4-2 on this road trip, which can only be seen as both improvement and progress despite the softer competition. After all, the Mets aren’t exactly seen as the varsity in the National League right now themselves. But they could easily be 5-1 or even 6-0. This team doesn’t have the luxury of giving up on games right now, but on another level, it is more of the same from when they were mired in the doldrums.

There are too many what ifs and if onlys that are continuing to pile up for this 2026 team.

---

Around the League 🚩

• Yankees OF Jasson Domínguez crashed into the outfield wall making a catch and was placed on the IL with a shoulder strain after the game (ESPN)

• The Red Sox placed OF Roman Anthony on the IL with a right wrist sprain (ESPN)

• Dodgers star Mookie Betts will begin a rehab assignment this weekend and could rejoin the ballclub next week (ESPN)

• Phillies RHP Andrew Painter gave up seven runs in Philadelphia’s 12-1 loss to the Athletics (NBC)

• The Cubs defeated the Reds 8-3 to win their fifteenth straight game at Wrigley Field (MLB.com)