There aren't many encouraging signs for the Mets as they've gone 1-11 over their last four series, but there are a few variables that can help.
The Mets' performance over the weekend in Milwaukee could have very well been rock bottom.
The club had an opportunity to win each game against the best team in Major League Baseball but came up empty as their losing streak stretched to seven games.
"It's hard to describe. Tough, frustrating, but we got to turn the page," Mets manager Carlos Mendoza told reporters Sunday.
"We gotta keep going. We gotta find a way to start getting the victory here."
On Friday, the potential tying run was thrown out at home. On Saturday, the combination of Ryne Stanek and Ryan Helsley gave up four earned runs as a one-run lead capsized. On Sunday, a five-run advantage dripped away until Edwin Diaz ultimately allowed a walk-off home run to Isaac Collins.
There have not been many signs of encouragement for the Mets over the last four series. During that time, they've gone 1-11 to drop to 63-55. It is their fewest games over .500 since April 20 when they were 15-7. They are 5.5 games behind the Phillies (entering Monday) for the top spot in the NL East and 1.5 games up on the Reds for the final NL Wild Card spot.
As the Mets attempt to get back on track, here are three key spots where they could improve:
1. Francisco Lindor has to get right
The Mets' "Fab Four" of Francisco Lindor, Juan Soto, Pete Alonso and Brandon Nimmo − as Steve Cohen referred to the club's top quartet − has been unable to produce consistently together during the stretch in the doldrums.
But the struggles of Lindor, the team's engine who drove them to the playoffs with his excellence down the stretch last season, have been more pronounced.
Since the All-Star break, the shortstop is slashing .169/.229/.281 with two home runs, 10 RBI, 12 runs and 28 strikeouts in 21 games. After rolling through May with a .283 batting average and .839 OPS, those figures have dropped to .243 and .735, respectively.
The offensive shortfall seeped into his usually-sterling defense as he fanned on a chopper up the middle in the second inning Saturday, allowing two pivotal runs to score. Lindor has 11 errors this season, with three during the last four series, after committing 12 all of last season.
And that led Lindor to lash out, slamming his glove into the bench in the dugout as the losses mounted. A successful turn could help ease some of that frustration.
"I have to be better," Lindor said of his error on Saturday. "I have to pick up my teammates and be there for them. I just have to be better.”
2. Kodai Senga, Sean Manaea need to get deeper
It is one of the most jarring stats for the Mets over the past two months of the season.
Since June 7, when Clay Holmes turned in six quality innings, the only Mets starting pitcher to record six innings of work has been David Peterson, who has worked at least six innings in eight of his last 10 starts.
But the collective inability of the Mets' starting rotation to get deeper into games continues to tax the bullpen.
"We're asking a lot out of the bullpen," Mendoza told reporters Sunday. "... We need to get our starters going."
Over the weekend, the Mets had five separate relievers throw 32 pitches or more. Tyler Rogers pitched in all three games, while Helsey and Reed Garrett were each called upon on back-to-back days.
Holmes is in uncharted waters with his workload, while Frankie Montas' spot in the rotation has come into question with his prolonged inefficiency. That leaves a pair at the top to shoulder the largest burden moving forward.
Kodai Senga, once the ace of the Mets' staff in 2023, has only pitched into the sixth inning once since returning from a hamstring injury on July 11. Over those five starts, Senga has allowed 12 earned runs in 20⅓ innings (5.31 ERA) with a 1.72 WHIP including 16 walks.
Sean Manaea, meanwhile, has failed to avoid the big or labor-intensive inning since his return from an oblique strain. He's pitched into the sixth inning twice but yet completed that frame. He has allowed nine earned runs in 9⅔ innings in his last two starts.
"I feel like I'm doing everything right, just gotta continue on this path," Manaea said. "I think I'm headed in the right direction, so feel like I'm there, just need to take it to the next step."
3. Mets' schedule: Take advantage of stretch ahead
While it feels like every game is big for the Mets now that they've dug themselves into a hole in the division, these next two weeks might be the most paramount for the team's chances in that race.
The Braves, the Mets' old arch nemesis, are headed to Citi Field for a three-game series beginning Tuesday. But this is not the same pacesetting Atlanta squad as years past. The Braves enter the week at 16 games under .500 at 51-67.
The Braves' starting rotation is a shell of its former self, with Chris Sale, Spencer Schwellenbach and AJ Smith-Shawver all dealing with lengthy injuries. The offense is 20th in team batting average and 20th in runs. Now would be the time for the Mets to beat up on their division foes, with a trip to Truist Park also looming Aug. 22-24.
After a series against the surging Mariners (66-53), the Mets will travel to face the Nationals across four games next week. That series is another massive opportunity for the Mets, with the Nats nursing a 47-70 record, the second-worst mark in the NL entering the week.
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: NY Mets: 3 ways they can climb back into NL East race with Phillies
Category: Baseball
