Looking at the Mets’ recent offensive struggles, it’s hard not pointing directly at the bottom of the order.

When this group was clicking, they were arguably one of the deepest lineups in all of baseball. 

Of late, though, they’ve become too reliant on the big boppers at the top coming through with the big knocks. 

That was again the case on Monday night against Atlanta’s Spencer Schwellenbach. 

Juan Soto accounted for New York’s lone runs -- crushing a two-run homer the other way with two outs in the bottom of the sixth to break up the young right-hander’s shutout bid and make it a one-run ballgame. 

Other than that, the Mets managed just five hits on the night. 

Two of them came from Francisco Lindor, one from Brandon Nimmo, and the other two from Brett Baty as he lifted his average to an impressive .538 in five games out of the nine spot in the order this season.

Other than that, the four through eight spots in the Mets’ lineup went a combined 0-for-18 with five strikeouts on the night as they dropped their ninth in their last 10 games. 

They’ve averaged just three runs over that stretch, even with the 11-run outburst on Saturday in Philadelphia. 

“We have a lot of guys on the bottom going through it,” Carlos Mendoza said. “We’re relying pretty much on the top four or five guys and then those guys on the bottom are not able to get on base, that’s why we’re having a hard time scoring runs right now.

“We were talking about when we were playing well how good our lineup was -- right now we have a few guys that are struggling.”

The youngsters have’t been as consistent as hoped. Jeff McNeil has slowed down mightily after his hot start. Tyrone Taylor continues to play stellar defense, but his bat has cooled off as well, and the same can be said for newly appointed starting catcher Luis Torrens.

Jared Young also has just six knocks since being called-up from Syracuse, but he continues to see regular at-bats as the DH. 

Something needs to change in a hurry -- luckily a big reinforcement in on the way, as Mark Vientos will play two more rehab games with Syracuse this week and he could be back in the lineup as soon as Thursday. 

That’s just one addition, though, the rest of this group has to get things turned around quickly.

“We need to continue to support the guys and continue to work,” the skipper said. “But you know this game is all about results, so we continue to have all the confidence in these guys, but we have to be better.”

It’s been a bit of a struggle of late for the Mets’ bullpen.

With the starters failing to work deep into games, they’ve been very overworked. 

That was again the case on Monday night, but this time they were able to deliver. 

Paul Blackburn was knocked around by the Braves for the second straight outing and was pulled with two outs in the top of the fifth -- that marked the fifth straight game a Mets starter failed to finish five innings. 

But José Buttó entered into a first-and-third jam and needed just four pitches to clean up the mess, getting Michael Harris II to roll over to end the inning. 

He followed that up with a perfect top of the sixth. 

Ryne Stanek was handed the seventh and he fell into some trouble after issuing a walk and allowing a two-out single to Ozzie Albies, but he let out one of his signature roars after punching out Murphy with a nasty slider. 

Reed Garrett was called upon in the eighth, coming off back-to-back rough outings, and he rebounded nicely with a pair of strikeouts in a scoreless frame of his own. 

Edwin Diaz then entered for the ninth, pitching for the first time in five days, and he worked around a pair of hits, striking out Ozzie Albies on three pitches to keep the deficit at just one run. 

Unfortunately, the effort was wasted as the Mets’ offense failed to come through. 

“Those are tough games to lose,” Carlos Mendoza said. “When you use your high-leverage and aren’t able to close the deal -- we just have to turn the page, but I thought they did a hell of a job keeping us in the game.

“We only get 4.2 out of Blackburn and then everyone else kind of kept the game right there for us. Everybody that came out of that bullpen gave us a chance, we just couldn’t push those runs across.”

The common thread in most losing streaks is a collective slump at the plate, and the Mets can certainly attest to this notion in the midst of their unsettling mid-June swoon.

After falling to the division-rival Braves on Monday night at Citi Field, the Mets have now hit a measly .215 over a brutal 10-game stretch that's resulted in nine losses and pushed them out of first place in the NL East race.

To make matters worse, their season average with runners in scoring position is down to .219, which ranks second-worst in baseball.

While the Mets' lack of production during their 10-game downturn clearly speaks for itself -- they've scored 30 total runs despite hitting 15 home runs -- the woes have been contagious, from top to bottom in the lineup.

Francisco Lindor (.230) and Pete Alonso (.205) have been ice cold, and on Monday against the Braves, the Mets' bottom half of the order went a combined 2-for-17.

The Mets have allowed their opponent to draw first blood in seven of the last 10 games, and the challenge of trailing early has influenced approaches in the batter's box.

Mets manager Carlos Mendoza isn't willing to say the players are pressing, but he too has noticed the recent change in at-bat quality that's caused frustrations and yet to level.

"I don't think it's pressing, I think it's just the situations of the games during this stretch, where we've been playing from behind," Mendoza said. "We need to continue support the guys and continue to work, but it's about results, right? We continue to have all the confidence in these guys, but we've got to be better."

This past weekend against the rival Phillies showed some feast-or-famine offense, as the Mets scored 11 runs in a refreshing Saturday win that was sandwiched between Friday and Sunday losses that only produced a combined three runs.

The barrage on Saturday snapped an ugly seven-game slide, but they're now facing another three-game skid. And chances are they dip there again on Tuesday night, as the Braves are sending Spencer Strider to the mound and the Mets are relying on Frankie Montas, who looked anything but effective during his lengthy rehab assignment.

"We're relying so much on our top guys, and we have a lot of guys in the bottom of the lineup that are going through it right now," Mendoza said. "When that happens, once you get past the fourth or fifth batter, we're having a hard time creating opportunities. It's hard to score like that... We've got a few guys that are struggling."

Paul Blackburn continues to struggle since moving back into the Mets’ rotation.  

The veteran right-hander was knocked around by the Braves for the second straight outing on Monday night. 

As was the case during their meeting last week, Atlanta jumped on Blackburn early as they pushed a man into scoring position just three pitches into the game, but he was helped out by a heads-up play from Jeff McNeil. 

He wasn’t as lucky in the second, as the leadoff man reached and quickly advanced to second again, but he was able to limit the damage to just one run on a sacrifice fly thanks to a Juan Soto sliding catch. 

Ronald Acuña Jr. then led off the third with a solo shot, and after a double and two walks that loaded the bases with no outs, Blackburn settled down and was able to escape with just one more tally on the board.  

He finally put together a clean inning his next time out, but was unable to finish the fifth. 

Austin Riley crushed a triple high off the center field fence and Sean Murphy drew a two-out walk to chase him from the contest, but José Buttó entered and was able to close his line without further damage. 

Overall, Blackburn allowed three runs on six hits while walking three three over 4.2 innings of work. 

“I feel like I made some adjustments from the last time facing them,” he said. “I hung the curveball to Acuña and he hit it out, but other than that I felt like I made some pretty good pitches and really battled out there.”

Buttó and the rest of the Mets’ bullpen did a tremendous job keeping this one close behind Blackburn, but this was another game during this tough stretch where they were forced to take on a heavy workload. 

It marked the fifth straight contest the Mets’ starter was unable to finish five innings.

“Everything is magnified when you’re struggling,” Blackburn said. “Every night everyone is going out there giving their best shot -- obviously guys don’t want to go four innings, five innings. Guys would love to do what [David] Peterson’s been doing for us.

“It’s just come in, day-by-day, continue to work and sooner or later the tide is going to turn.”

You couldn’t have scripted it any better for the Mets. 

After trailing the Braves for the first seven innings on Monday night, they found themselves finally piecing together a two-out rally against struggling right-hander Raisel Iglesias in the bottom of the eighth. 

Citi Field was absolutely rocking as Francisco Lindor and Brandon Nimmo lined back-to-back singles to bring the scorching-hot Juan Soto to the plate with the tying run just 90 feet away.

Braves manager Brian Snitker elected to go with the lefty-lefty matchup, turning to Dylan Lee. 

It was a matchup the Mets certainly liked, with Soto having two hits in his career against Lee. But the reliever got the best of him this time around, as he chased on a 3-2 slider down and out of the zone. 

“For me, I just have a plan up there and try to execute it,” Soto said after Monday's loss. “I try my best to get on base and try to get Pete [Alonso] up with the bases loaded or first and second or whatever the situation. But it didn’t happen -- he made a really good pitch and I just couldn’t come through, he got me there.” 

That ended up being the turning point, as the Mets went down quietly in the ninth and suffered their fourth consecutive loss to their division rival.

While Soto wasn’t able to come through in that spot, he did deliver earlier in the game. 

The Mets were shut down by right-hander Spencer Schwellenbach over the first 5.2 innings until the star outfielder stepped to the plate and crushed an opposite-field, two-run shot to get them on the board. 

It was Soto’s 17th of the season and his eighth this month. 

While the Mets have been struggling mightily offensively, he’s certainly found his footing, hitting .324 with 11 extra base-hits, 16 RBI, and a 1.188 OPS in June. 

“I’m trusting in what I have and what I’ve been doing since Day 1,” Soto said. “I’ve just been trusting it and now it’s finally starting to come through.”

The Yankees couldn't make the most of a few mid-inning rallies on Monday night, as they fell to the Cincinnati Reds, 6-1, in their series opener at Great American Ball Park.

Here are the takeaways...

-- The Yankees didn't waste much time drawing first blood against Reds starter Nick Lodolo. With two outs in the first inning, Aaron Judge crushed a fastball deep to left that landed in the second deck for a solo home run. The 398-foot moonshot was No. 28 on the season for Judge, who remains on pace for a second straight 58-homer campaign. He nearly connected on No. 29 in the third, but his flyout fell a couple feet shy of the wall in center.

-- With a rotation spot open due to Ryan Yarbrough's oblique injury, the Yankees called up Allan Winans from Triple-A to make his 2025 debut, and he provided mixed results. The 29-year-old right-hander worked effectively early on, facing the minimum through the first three innings on just 24 pitches. But he fell into trouble in the fourth, giving up a game-tying triple to Elly De La Cruz, an RBI sac fly to Spencer Steer, and a solo homer to Gavin Lux.

-- The Yankees had opportunities to inflict further damage on Lodolo -- who was pulled with one out in the fifth at 94 pitches -- but couldn't capitalize with traffic on the basepaths. They left six on base through five innings, going 0-for-8 with RISP. Winans returned for a fifth inning of work but didn't complete it, as another jam produced a fourth Reds run and forced him at 62 pitches with one out. Ian Hamilton was then tasked with cleaning up a bases-loaded mess, and he did just that by inducing a double-play grounder. Winans gave up those four runs on five hits and only struck out one.

-- Hamilton kept the Reds off the board in the sixth and seventh innings, registering a pair of strikeouts, but Tim Hill replaced him with one out in the latter frame and worked around a single by inducing an inning-ending double play. In the eighth, the Yankees had yet another prime chance to score following a leadoff double by Cody Bellinger -- his second of the game -- and a walk to Judge. But the threat didn't faze Reds reliever Tony Santillan, who proceeded to strike out Giancarlo Stanton and Jazz Chisholm Jr. and force Anthony Volpe into a groundout.

-- The Reds bumped their lead to 5-1 in the eighth, when De La Cruz smacked a sinker from Hill to the right-field seats for his 17th homer this season. Mark Leiter Jr. then entered in relief after the longball, and saw an inning-ending grounder plate a sixth Reds run due to an errant throw to first by Volpe. While the Yankees made Lodolo labor all night, they didn't make the Reds' bullpen sweat too much. They logged just two hits over the final 4.2 frames, striking out seven times. Overall, they fanned 13 times and went 0-for-12 with RISP.

Game MVP: Elly De La Cruz

The Reds' shortstop showcased his elite pop and speed, finishing 3-for-4 with a solo homer, game-tying triple, RBI single, and two runs scored. He's now hitting .272 this season with an .861 OPS -- currently career-high marks.

Highlights

Aaron Judge CRUSHES this one to the second deck for a solo homer! 🔥 pic.twitter.com/3W18l8Btbx

— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) June 23, 2025

What's next

The Yankees (45-33) will play the middle game of their series on Tuesday night, with first pitch scheduled for 7:10 p.m.

Carlos Rodón (9-5, 3.10 ERA) is slated to take the mound, opposite Reds top prospect Chase Burns, making his MLB debut.

The Mets were defeated by the Atlanta Braves, 3-2, in the series opener on Monday night at Citi Field.

Here are some takeaways...

- As was the case in their meeting last week, the Braves were able to jump on Paul Blackburn, putting baserunners on in each inning against him. The righty was helped by a heads-up play from Jeff McNeil to escape without damage in the first, but a sacrifice fly brought home the first run of the game in the second.

Ronald Acuña Jr. led off the third with a solo shot to center, then a double and two walks loaded the bases with nobody out. Blackburn did a nice job of bearing down from there and was able to escape with just one more tally on the board via a sacrifice fly.

He finally put together a clean inning his next time out, but was pulled in the fifth after allowing an Austin Riley triple and a two-out walk. José Buttó entered and retired the first batter he faced to close Blackburn's line at three runs on six hits and three walks with five strikeouts over 4.2 innings.

It marked the fifth straight game the Mets received five innings or fewer from their starter.

- After they struck for four runs and two homers against him last week in Atlanta, the Mets weren't able to get much of anything going against Spencer Schwellenbach. They managed just two singles over the first five innings, but finally broke through in the sixth.

Juan Soto made the young right-hander pay for a two-out walk to Brandon Nimmo, demolishing an opposite-field, two-run homer to make it a one-run ballgame. It was Soto's 17th long ball of the season and the third of his career against Schwellenbach.

The star outfielder would step to the plate in a golden opportunity a few innings later -- Francisco Lindor and Brandon Nimmo lined back-to-back two-out singles to push the tying run to third -- but Soto struck out on a nasty 3-2 slider out of the zone from left-hander Dylan Lee.

- Lee set down Pete Alonso, Jeff McNeil, and Tyrone Taylor to close this one out in the ninth.

- While it was for naught, the Mets' bullpen did a good job of keeping them in the game. Ryne Stanek let out a big roar after pitching his way out of a jam in the seventh, Reed Garrett struck out a pair in the eighth, and then Edwin Diaz worked around two hits in the ninth.

- Brett Baty has gotten off to a bit of a slow start since returning from the IL, but he put together a much-needed strong showing at the plate, picking up two of the four knocks against Schwellenbach.

- The Mets have now lost nine of their last 10 games and four straight against the Braves.

Game MVP: Dylan Lee

The southpaw set down the scorching Soto in the biggest spot of the game.

Highlights

Jeff McNeil traps Ronald Acuña Jr. in a rundown and he gets tagged out! pic.twitter.com/NbHSl3hxBV

— SNY (@SNYtv) June 23, 2025

José Buttó got some cheers from the Citi Field crowd after throwing up-and-in on Ronald Acuña Jr.

Buttó later struck Acuña out. pic.twitter.com/5VwmmKnVTt

— SNY (@SNYtv) June 24, 2025

JUAN SOTO GETS THE METS BACK IN IT WITH A TWO-RUN HOMER! pic.twitter.com/MP5N8s9Z6e

— SNY (@SNYtv) June 24, 2025

STRUCK HIM OUT!

Ryne Stanek lets out a roar as he strikes out Sean Murphy! pic.twitter.com/Q1s5jnM3Ct

— SNY (@SNYtv) June 24, 2025

Two strikeouts in a 1-2-3 inning for Reed Garrett 💪 pic.twitter.com/9u61bMx48M

— SNY (@SNYtv) June 24, 2025

What's next

The Mets and Braves continue their four-game set on Tuesday at 7:10 p.m.

Frankie Montas makes his Mets debut against Spencer Strider (2-5, 3.89 ERA) on SNY.