What's left for the Mets? And it's only May!
New York found another way to lose in an absolute gut punch of an ending at Citi Field.
What’s Up with the Mets? ⚾️
The Mets dropped yet another heartbreaker in a crushing 8-7 loss to the Giants at Citi Field on Friday (box)
RHP Christian Scott gave New York a really solid outing, allowing two earned runs on two hits with one walk while striking out four over six innings of work
RHP Edwin Díaz pitched a really impressive scoreless seventh inning, allowing just one hit with no walks while striking out two
The bullpen imploded from the eighth inning on as RHP Reed Garrett gave up five earned runs on four hits, including the go-ahead home run to C Patrick Bailey in the eighth inning
New York had the bases loaded in the ninth after staging a late rally, only for Giants 3B Matt Chapman to make a stellar barehanded throw to call game
The Mets offense hit three home runs for the third consecutive game, with J.D. Martinez, Mark Vientos and Pete Alonso all going long. It was the eighth time in franchise history the club has hit three homers in three straight games, but they’ve lost all three such games for the first time in franchise history. They are only the fifth team in MLB history to have such a streak. No team has done it in four straight games
1B Pete Alonso, in addition to hitting his 12th homer of the year, went 2-for-5 with one run scored and two RBIs
SS Francisco Lindor looked dangerous at the plate, going 2-for-5 with a double, one run scored and a RBI
The Mets went 3-for-11 with runners in scoring position and left seven runners stranded
New York has now lost four in a row, six of its past seven, nine of its past 11 and 21 of its last 30 games. The 21 losses are tied with the Reds for the worst mark in baseball during that span. The club is now eight games under .500
Injury Updates 🏥
C Francisco Álvarez (thumb surgery) is expected to take batting practice on Saturday for the first time since his operation. He is on track for a return in late June
RHP Kodai Senga (shoulder strain) will be shut down 3-5 days due to triceps inflammation, as revealed by an MRI. He has received a cortisone shot
OF Brandon Nimmo was cleared for a possible concussion after being hit in the helmet flap by a fastball in the third inning on Friday night
Down on the Farm 🌾
LHP David Peterson (Triple-A Syracuse): 4.0 IP, 7 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 6 K
2B Jose Iglesias (Triple-A Syracuse): 2-for-4, 2 RBI
RHP Tyler Stuart (No. 18 prospect, Double-A Binghamton): 5.0 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 9 K, 1 HR
SS Wyatt Young (Double-A Binghamton): 2-for-4, 1 R, 2 RBI, 1 HR
RHP Douglas Orellana (High-A Brooklyn): 4.2 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 3 BB, 5 K
OF Stanley Consuegra (High-A Brooklyn): 1-for-4, 1 R, 4 RBI, 1 BB, 1 HR
BOX SCORES
STL | BRK | BNG | SYR
Who’s Hot ♨️
Pete Alonso has a nine-game hitting streak. He’s hitting .293/.341/.585 with three doubles, three home runs and four RBI during that span
Francisco Lindor has hits in five of his last seven games, hitting .281/.324/.375 with three doubles and three RBI during that span
JD Martínez has hits in 13 of his last 17 games, hitting .297/.338/.500 with four doubles, three home runs and nine RBI during that span
Who’s Cold 🥶
RHP Reed Garrett has now given up six earned runs in his last two outings, with his season ERA dropping to 2.67
In nine appearances during the month of May, Adam Ottavino has allowed an .831 opposing OPS and pitched to a 6.48 ERA
The Mets 4.85 ERA as a team in May is the worst mark in all of baseball. They’ve allowed 155 runs this month (4th worst), walked 126 batters (worst), and blown five save chances (10th worst)
Today’s Game 🗓
Match-up: Mets (21-29) vs. Giants (26-26)
Where: Citi Field - Flushing, NY
Starters: RHP Luis Severino (2-2, 3.48 ERA) vs. RHP Jordan Hicks (4-1, 2.38 ERA)
When: 1:40 PM EDT
Where to Watch: WPIX
Is there anything left worth watching for Mets fans in 2024?… ✍️
The New York Mets have played 51 games and we’re still in May.
In other words, there is still a hell of a lot of baseball left to play.
But, in the wake of witnessing another heartbreaking, crushing loss on Friday night, it is worth asking the following question:
Is there actually anything left to look forward to this season?
Again, there are still 111 baseball games to be played this year and a lot can change in an instant.
However, Mets fans have been here too many times before, including in 2023 when the season was over before it even really began.
This team looks destined for the same fate in 2024. Except, and prepare yourselves for this, it could get even uglier.
Hear me out.
At the time of writing this, there just doesn’t seem to be any real tangible reasons for Mets fans to get excited for the foreseeable future. There just doesn’t. This is a team that isn’t fundamentally sound in any department and they are a hard watch on most nights.
When the rotation does deliver a great start, the lineup goes colder than death and doesn’t hold up its end of the bargain. And, when the bats do get hot, the pitching tends to implode. And, because these are the Mets, sometimes we get games when both the hitting and the pitching lay an egg.
Talk about the cherry on top of the shit hot fudge sundae.
We can’t even get excited about Kodai Senga days because the righty continues to suffer more setbacks than even the most unluckiest guy on the planet. When Senga does return this year, if he even does, it remains to be seen what version of the ace we’ll get. It would probably be wise to temper your expectations now.
Francisco Lindor still hasn’t gotten hot - although he had a good night at the plate on Friday - Pete Alonso is hitting homers but doing little else, Jeff McNeil and Starling Marte are both probably done, and J.D. Martinez is doing exactly what he was signed to do, but what fun is that if everything else is burning down around him?
We’ve even had the exhilarating thrill of Edwin Díaz striding out to the mound to lock down games in the ninth taken away from us because of the closer’s epic struggles in 2024. Although, it has to be said that Díaz did look good in the seventh inning on Friday, so maybe his season can still be salvaged.
Furthermore, this just isn’t an interesting team to watch at all. They are feast or famine at the plate, they offer no excitement or creativity on the basepaths, they are not clutch with runners in scoring position, the defense is a freaking boring horror show, the starting pitching has imploded and the bullpen is suddenly showing signs of collapsing under the pressure.
In other words, this has all been one big unmitigated disaster thus far.
So, what can Mets fans get excited about the rest of the way in 2024?
Well, Christian Scott days could soon become a thing if nothing else noteworthy emerges. The rookie has been impressive for the most part, aside from one rough outing, and he could quickly morph into the biggest draw for fans going to the ballpark the rest of the way. However, on the flipside of that, it is important to remember that this is Scott’s first taste of the big leagues and mistakes should be expected. He can’t be looked upon as the savior of this team. Not yet, anyway.
Mark Vientos continues to prove why he deserves to be an everyday player for the Mets. He hit another homer on Friday and now owns a 1.167 OPS in 10 games. It will be fun to see both Vientos and Francisco Álvarez mashing in the same lineup, once the catcher returns from a broken thumb.
Depending on what happens over the next couple of months, maybe some more high-end young talent will be brought up to the bigs. Maybe seeing some of the best studs in the farm system called up to The Show will help bring some excitement to Citi Field once we reach the dog days of summer.
Last night, David Stearns spoke highly of Luisangel Acuña and Drew Gilbert specifically, although he said they want to afford them as much time as they need to fully develop with hopes they can help either this year or next.
But, for now at least, it is hard to see where fans are going to get their kicks from. This team looks anything but a team capable of making the postseason and, to compound matters, they look and feel less interesting than last year’s disaster.
At this point, another teardown at the trade deadline looks likely and that means a second consecutive lost year for fans.
We’ve not even hit June, however, and already there are less than a handful of reasons to still watch this team.
It looks set to be one hell of a long summer for Mets fans.
Around the League 🚩
Juan Soto homered in his return to San Diego as the Yankees beat the brains out of the Padres, winning 8-0 at Petco Park
RHP Justin Verlander struck out nine to pass Hall of Famer Greg Maddux for 10th all-time in strikeouts (3,372) as the Astros beat the A’s, 6-3
Gunnar Henderson hit his 17th home run of the year as the Orioles beat the White Sox, 6-4
Jonathan India hit a grand slam to help the Reds beat the Dodgers, 9-6, in a wild one in Cincinnati
Marlins LHP Braxton Garrett threw a complete game shutout in a 3-0 win over the D-backs
In a nutshell: Bases loaded, less than two outs. can't bring home any runs.
Happens all the time..
I just can’t watch anymore. Why did Mendoza leave Reed in too long. After last night the players must be devastated. I am really scared of what Whiz Kid Stearns is going to do at the trade deadline. I am so tired of hearing that he doesn’t think first base is a power position. For 2025 they should build the team around Alonso. The Yankees are not going to let Soto go. 2025 sadly is going to be another growing pains year since the team has so many issues and many FA’s want no part of NY or a team that is rebuilding.