What A Mess

By: Mike Rifkin

For the third consecutive night, the New York Mets couldn’t hold a multi-run lead in a loss to the division-rival Atlanta Braves. It’s their sixth consecutive loss for the Mets, and they are 3-7 in their last ten games. 

On Wednesday night Max Scherzer couldn’t hold a 4-1 lead, and Adam Ottavino gave up a home run to Michael Harris in the bottom of the eighth inning. On Tuesday, the Braves scored four runs against Carlos Carrasco and Drew Smith in the sixth inning on their way to a win. Carrasco and Smith could not hold a 4-1 lead as well. On Thursday, the Mets bullpen couldn’t hold a 10-6 lead. Now the other issue was Justin Verlander gave the Mets just three innings in a game the team needed. For the first time in franchise history, the Mets have lost three consecutive games where they have had three-run leads.

The Mets are three games under .500 and are 8.5 games back of the Braves. If you think back to September when the Braves swept the Mets to overtake them for the NL East title, they have not recovered from that series. Yes, it is a new season, but mentally, this team has never recovered; they have massive flaws which go back to the winter. The first two-plus months have been a massive failure for the team with the biggest payroll in baseball. Now, what to come next depends on what happens to Pete Alonso, who was sent to New York to get a CT Scan and additional tests on his wrist a day after getting hit by a pitch on his wrist. If Alonso, who leads baseball in home runs, needs an IL stint, that will be a massive blow to a lineup that needs his production. 

Now I am not saying firing everyone, and that’s the solution to the problem. But the Mets need to figure this out sooner than later. But there is a positive, and that is all you have to do is make the playoffs and look at what the division rival Phillies did last year. But for now, meet the mess; step right up and meet the mess.