This weekend brought a familiar yet unwelcome feeling for the Mets and their fans, as echoes of early-season struggles reappeared during the series against the Angels. Critical moments called for big hits that just didn’t materialize, costing the Mets hugely in more ways than one.
Sure, J.D. Martinez had a grand slam to put the Mets up by two on Saturday night, but that was one of the only moments someone came through in a clutch situation, and to make matters worse, Huascar Brazoban gave the game right back to the Angels to nullify said big hit.
The offensive woes persisted from Friday into Saturday and continued on Sunday. The Mets managed just 2-for-10 with runners in scoring position, leaving seven on base in the series finale at Angel Stadium. This inefficiency was significant as the Mets lost the rubber game 3-2, marking their first series loss in over a month.
Francisco Lindor, David Richard-USA TODAY Sports
Throughout the weekend, the Mets were a dismal 6-for-35 with men in scoring position, stranding 27 runners total. Sunday’s game highlighted these struggles as they finished 2-for-10 in those situations. One of those bigger spots on Sunday took place late in the game. In the eighth inning, down by one with runners on first and third and one out, Mark Vientos hit into an inning-ending double play induced by Angels reliever Mike Baumann, adding to the frustration.
Missed opportunities were abundant. Francisco Lindor started the game with a walk, stole his 23rd base of the season, and advanced to third on an errant throw. Yet, neither Martinez nor Pete Alonso could capitalize against Angels starter Griffin Canning. Martinez struck out looking, and Alonso grounded out.
The Mets’ collective approach at the plate faltered, striking out 11 times against Angels pitchers Canning, José Marte, Baumann, and Roansy Contreras. Since July 14, the Mets have the second-lowest batting average with runners in scoring position in MLB at .186, better only than the White Sox’s .171. Alonso, a significant contributor to this problem, went 0-2 with RISP on Sunday and is now hitting .198 for the season in such situations.
Lindor and Jeff McNeil have maintained their strong performance at the plate, but the Mets are still eagerly awaiting a resurgence from Alonso, Brandon Nimmo, Francisco Alvarez, and J.D. Martinez.
Losing a series for the first time since June 30 to a non-playoff team, the Mets now face a grueling stretch: a Monday afternoon make-up game in St. Louis followed by a three-game series in Colorado, all part of a ten-day, four-city, three-time zone trek around the West.
With a challenging schedule ahead and having had better RISP numbers in the not-too-distant past, the Mets’ offense needs to awaken and deliver in crucial moments. With some ground already lost in the packed wild card race and around 50 games remaining, this is the worst time to relapse into their early-season troubles and if this problem persists, can easily push this team out of playoff contention.
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