It does not seem an exaggeration to say that Dishes suddenly looks like a dead team walking.
And yet, almost as incredible as their futility at the plate this week, these same Mets could still land a wild card spot on Sunday.
That is, if they want to swing the bats again like the team that for so long had the best record in the majors after June 1st. And at this point, surely no one who saw them play this week would bet on that. .
But baseball’s momentum can change quickly, as these 2024 Mets have proven themselves this season.
So, do they have another twist in them?
It doesn’t seem like it, that’s for sure, after the Mets lost three crucial games in a row without even putting up a fight.
Yes, after such an enjoyable season, this team brought up the whole old heartbreak story that makes Mets fans feel like their team is cursed, whether it was 1998, 2007, ’22 or any other fateful outcome over the course of the year. season. years.
It just didn’t seem possible that these Mets were going into the tank with all the money on the table. They played too well. Brimming with confidence. Playing some of their best baseball against the best teams in both leagues.
And now this.
They have lost three times in a row, including 6-0 loss Saturday night against the Brewers in Milwaukeebut it’s rather the manner in which they lost that is so alarming.
They didn’t hit at all, which makes it seem like a team feeling the pressure of big games in this final week of the season.
You can say that the moment seems too big for them or you can say it harsher: that they seem to be choking again.
It’s a bad word in sports and shouldn’t be used lightly, but is there another way to phrase it? Especially with at least some of the same key players, Francisco Lindor, Brandon NimmoAnd Pete Alonsowho were part of the team that failed so badly at the end of season 22.
And if you don’t think all this isn’t worrying enough, consider how the Atlanta Braves won their game on Saturday: with none other than Travis d’Arnaud hitting a home run to defeat the Kansas City Royals, putting them one game ahead of the Mets in the NL Wild Card standings.
How come the Braves always seem to find ways to win games this time of year? What is their secret sauce anyway and will the Mets ever find theirs?
Look, there’s plenty of reason to believe that Steve Cohen/David Stearns The Mets have a bright future, building an organization with a strong farm system with the intention of having a sustainable Dodgers-style winner for years to come.
In that sense, it’s a bonus year, overall.
And yet, that doesn’t soften the blow after these Mets have played at such a high level for months, especially in a season in which a championship seems completely up for grabs, with nothing resembling a super team in the two leagues.
It just wasn’t supposed to fall apart like this. Luis Severino had a mediocre start in Atlanta. Sean Manaeaas close to a sure thing as any pitcher in baseball has over the past two months, couldn’t meet the moment Friday night in Milwaukee.
And even Jose Quintanawho was especially very good against the Brewers on Saturday, still cost himself two walks in the fourth inning which led to a two-run exchange and an out in the fifth inning for the left-hander.
But obviously, the story was mostly about the lack of offense. And what must hurt Mets fans the most is seeing The Core, which has become an unflattering term when applied to the Mets of recent years, failing miserably again.
This means Alonso, Nimmo and Lindor, since Jeff McNeil is injured. They didn’t hit enough two years ago when the Mets were swept by the Braves to lose the division and lost two of three to the San Diego Padres in the wild-card round.
And they don’t knock anymore.
Lindor has a legitimate excuse, playing with pain from his back injury that is significant enough to limit him to DH duties this night. Still, after getting two singles on Friday, there was hope that he would return to his MVP form, but he went 0 for 4 on Saturday with two strikeouts.
Nimmo has been quiet in these three losses, as he plays a horrible second half that has him hitting less than .200 since the All-Star Game. It’s hard to explain what happened to him after taking so many hits in the first half that he should have been an All-Star.
And then there is Alonso. He was supposed to have a Aaron judges– like walking out a year and forcing Cohen to make him a Met for life with a mega-deal. Instead, he cost himself God knows how many millions of dollars with a mediocre season that featured few, if any, truly memorable moments.
Indeed, it feels like Alonso’s season has been defined by chasing sliders out of the strike zone, especially in clutch situations, and at this point he seems almost powerless to change the game .
There is still time, of course. It’s time for one of them. It’s time for these Mets to fool us all, like they did in June when they stopped playing like losers and somehow turned themselves into what looked like a really good baseball team.
The D-backs give the Mets the opportunity to rewrite the script once again. It’s just hard, after their no-shows this week, to see how they’re going to do it.
