After yet another disastrous offensive performance in Game 2 of Sunday’s doubleheader against the Colorado Rockies, Mets manager Carlos Mendoza sat down at the podium for his postgame presser and, looking exhausted, sounded incredulous at what he just witnessed.
Not only did his team score one run over the course of 18 innings en route to getting swept by the Colorado Rockies at home, but hardly at any point did the offense look even remotely competitive.
“It’s hard to explain when you have that many guys that are going through it at the same time,” said a fed up Mendoza. “It’s just not a good showing, not good at-bats up and down [the lineup].
“Overall not hitting the ball hard consistently and it’s hard. Like I said, it’s hard to explain because usually you get 3-4 guys that go through it, but you got 4-5 guys that can carry you. But right now it’s hard to describe.”
Unfortunately, this is what the Mets’ offense is right now – one that’s scored one or fewer runs 10 times in 28 games to start the season and who ranks at or near the bottom in almost every offensive category.
From top to bottom, the offense has been struggling basically since that Opening Day game against Paul Skenes and the Pittsburgh Pirates where New York put up 11 runs while getting contributions up and down the lineup in a game that teased fans of what could be but now feels like an aberration.
Yes, injuries have taken their toll on the Mets who are not fully healthy at the moment, but even when most of the pieces were in place, the offense was still sputtering.
Francisco Alvarez, who has three hits in his last 20 at-bats, leads all qualified hitters on the team with a .240 average and a .760 OPS. Nobody else has an OPS above .669 and that belongs to Francisco Lindor who will be out for the foreseeable future with a calf strain.
Sure, Juan Soto is slashing .304/.418/.413 in 13 games but since returning to the lineup after missing two weeks with a calf strain of his own, he’s 3-for-15 with no RBI or runs scored. In fact, teams have resolved to not pitch to him and are making anybody else in the lineup beat them.
Right now, nobody has been able to step up to the plate.
“We all know what kind of talent we have in that lineup and what kind of hitters we have and how much damage they can do so it’s just a matter of time that they’re gonna wake up and bring the best out of themselves,” Soto said. “I know they're trying their hardest but sometimes things don’t go your way and you just gotta keep it as you are, a professional, keep your head and keep moving forward.”
After making significant changes to the roster this offseason and going from comfortable to perhaps unconventional, none of the moves have really paid dividends yet.
Bo Bichette had a nice moment on Thursday night against the Minnesota Twins with a bases-clearing double to give the Mets the lead late, but outside of that he’s been a huge disappointment after being billed as somebody who makes solid contact and hits in the clutch.
Luis Robert Jr. has followed up a torrid start with a prolonged slump, Marcus Semien went 1-for-12 against the Rockies and Jorge Polanco is on the IL.
Meanwhile, homegrown players like Brett Baty and Mark Vientos who were tasked to take another step in the right direction this season have failed to do so.
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything like this to be honest with you, that goes on for so long when you got so many guys struggling at the same time,” Mendoza said.
The team-wide slump, which was the biggest problem during New York’s recent 12-game losing streak, has led to uncomfortable questions surrounding the skipper with the Mets a season-worst 10 games below .500 at 9-19.
And it’s not just this year. Since June 12 of last year, the Mets are 47-74 despite being committed to winning and spending more than nearly everybody else thanks to owner Steve Cohen.
With all of that, is Mendoza concerned about his job security?
“The only thing I’m worried about here is I gotta get the guys going,” he said. “I get it. I get it. It sucks and I know the questions will continue to come up, but my job is to find a way to get those guys out of the funk. That’s the bottom line.”
How exactly Mendoza plans to do that remains to be seen because, by his own admission, he’s tried everything. So far nothing has worked.
At the end of the day, though, it’s on the players to play better.
“As players we have to perform,” Soto said while defending his skipper. “This is definitely not Mendy’s fault or David [Stearn’s] fault. They definitely put a great team together and we have to be the ones that gotta go out there and perform at the end of the day.
“I don’t think [Mendoza’s] been doing anything wrong. I think he’s been doing a great job as a manager. He’s moving the pieces and putting the pieces in the right spot, we just haven’t come through, but it’s not his fault at all.”
