Mr. Smile and the Polar Bear are two of the worst hitters in the NL right now. Plus, Manaea was solid again, Juan Soto's foot is sore, and the bullpen imploded.
The pen needs a complete make over. Butto has been horrible since he came back from his “illness” in fact even before he was beginning to crack. The Mets need a starter to put Holmes in the pen as he will be better used from there. How many 5 innings starters do we need anyway? We can almost count on the pen melting down every night if we don’t have the guys we can really count on. The list gets shorter every time the pen door opens after another 5 inning start. Right now things are glaring on the Mets short comings. Why this team refuses to use studs in the minors for relief baffles me. Many successful franchises have used this to great success. I’m looking at Atlanta here. If they refuse to trade these kids what good are they languishing in the minors putting mileage on those elbows? Lindor better figure things out. A drop in the order is what should happen but Mendy is showing his Boone influence here by sticking with his “guys” damned the wins! It’s maddening. They got slaughtered last night. The good feelings of 7 in a row evaporated quick.
I was stewing last night whilst attempting to sleep...'Butto & Brozaban need to be DFAd.'! I see Brozy went to Syracuse to try to get his act together.
Perspective: Going into this road trip I thought winning 4 of 6 against 2 pretty good teams would be a successful trip. A win today gets them there and I can only look forward for better days ahead. It's just the cockeyed optimist that sneaks out in me occasionally. 🤩
The stairstep season continues. Up a few, flat, down a few, flat, back up a few more. It has produced a pretty good record overall - mainly due to the strong start. As noted, the team - and the core of the lineup - has been meh since the beginning of June.
It's kind of expected now and most fans can see when the team goes flat.
I guess we just have to hope that they don't go flat again in the playoffs, but there's little signs that suggested otherwise.
Might as well enjoy an overall winning season while we can, but this doesn't look like a championship team.
Totally agree. But I'm kind of done with this win 7 / lose 6 nonsense. Pick a lane. It would be one thing if they lost while still looking competitive, but as you said, they are just flat. I'm also somewhat pessimistic that anything they do before the trade deadline will made a significant difference. The top of the order needs to start producing consistently. Period. They will probably squeak into the playoffs again, but I don't see this team as the one going all the way.
The problem today is that pitchers keep getting better, while hitters—especially power guys like Alonso and Lindor—keep doubling down on the idea that swinging harder will magically lead to contact. But the harder they swing, the more they miss. It’s painfully obvious.
They could learn a thing or two from hitters like Luis Arráez, who knows how to slap pitches—even those out of the strike zone—for base hits. Not everything has to be an uppercut moonshot.
Some of the blame also falls on Mendoza. He seems to have no concept of small ball—no bunting, no situational hitting, no emphasis on putting pressure on the defense. It’s all or nothing.
And guess what? That power-hitting approach doesn’t work when it's not balanced with smarter, more strategic play. The strikeouts pile up, runners stay stranded, and the offense sputters—again and again.
The Padres just looked like a better equipped team, firing on all cylinders a la the 2015 Royals. The Mets looked sloppy and filled with holes. Going to be difficult to turn this around IMO.
As to Pete and Lindor, I think their issues are mostly mechanical. It looks like Lindor has mostly fixed it and he's just trying to find it again. I think he's about to snap back into form.
Pete's issue looks to be his right shoulder. He keeps dropping it and uppercutting and he can't hit anything belt-to-letters. A slugger you can easily dispatch with high gas is no slugger at all.
The good news is, it's not the most difficult fix. He just needs to do it and get back to the swing he started the season with.
The pen needs a complete make over. Butto has been horrible since he came back from his “illness” in fact even before he was beginning to crack. The Mets need a starter to put Holmes in the pen as he will be better used from there. How many 5 innings starters do we need anyway? We can almost count on the pen melting down every night if we don’t have the guys we can really count on. The list gets shorter every time the pen door opens after another 5 inning start. Right now things are glaring on the Mets short comings. Why this team refuses to use studs in the minors for relief baffles me. Many successful franchises have used this to great success. I’m looking at Atlanta here. If they refuse to trade these kids what good are they languishing in the minors putting mileage on those elbows? Lindor better figure things out. A drop in the order is what should happen but Mendy is showing his Boone influence here by sticking with his “guys” damned the wins! It’s maddening. They got slaughtered last night. The good feelings of 7 in a row evaporated quick.
I was stewing last night whilst attempting to sleep...'Butto & Brozaban need to be DFAd.'! I see Brozy went to Syracuse to try to get his act together.
Perspective: Going into this road trip I thought winning 4 of 6 against 2 pretty good teams would be a successful trip. A win today gets them there and I can only look forward for better days ahead. It's just the cockeyed optimist that sneaks out in me occasionally. 🤩
The stairstep season continues. Up a few, flat, down a few, flat, back up a few more. It has produced a pretty good record overall - mainly due to the strong start. As noted, the team - and the core of the lineup - has been meh since the beginning of June.
It's kind of expected now and most fans can see when the team goes flat.
I guess we just have to hope that they don't go flat again in the playoffs, but there's little signs that suggested otherwise.
Might as well enjoy an overall winning season while we can, but this doesn't look like a championship team.
Totally agree. But I'm kind of done with this win 7 / lose 6 nonsense. Pick a lane. It would be one thing if they lost while still looking competitive, but as you said, they are just flat. I'm also somewhat pessimistic that anything they do before the trade deadline will made a significant difference. The top of the order needs to start producing consistently. Period. They will probably squeak into the playoffs again, but I don't see this team as the one going all the way.
Manaea looked great. It’s tough to win when Lindor and Pete can’t hit. I don’t think we need a starter. We need 2 legit relievers.
Kwan? If getting Kwan means putting Nimmo in CF that's a big NO from me when Sterns call for my opinion
There are slumps, SLUMPS, and collapses.
Prematurely: Pete is writing himself off the team if/when he opts out.
The problem today is that pitchers keep getting better, while hitters—especially power guys like Alonso and Lindor—keep doubling down on the idea that swinging harder will magically lead to contact. But the harder they swing, the more they miss. It’s painfully obvious.
They could learn a thing or two from hitters like Luis Arráez, who knows how to slap pitches—even those out of the strike zone—for base hits. Not everything has to be an uppercut moonshot.
Some of the blame also falls on Mendoza. He seems to have no concept of small ball—no bunting, no situational hitting, no emphasis on putting pressure on the defense. It’s all or nothing.
And guess what? That power-hitting approach doesn’t work when it's not balanced with smarter, more strategic play. The strikeouts pile up, runners stay stranded, and the offense sputters—again and again.
The Padres just looked like a better equipped team, firing on all cylinders a la the 2015 Royals. The Mets looked sloppy and filled with holes. Going to be difficult to turn this around IMO.
Great breakdown on Manaea, Drew.
As to Pete and Lindor, I think their issues are mostly mechanical. It looks like Lindor has mostly fixed it and he's just trying to find it again. I think he's about to snap back into form.
Pete's issue looks to be his right shoulder. He keeps dropping it and uppercutting and he can't hit anything belt-to-letters. A slugger you can easily dispatch with high gas is no slugger at all.
The good news is, it's not the most difficult fix. He just needs to do it and get back to the swing he started the season with.