It's the hottest week of the year in New York City, but the Mets have been ice cold. Leaders of the NL East by five-and-a-half games less than two weeks ago, the boys from Queens now trail the Phillies by 1.5 because of a putrid ongoing stretch where they've lost 10 of 11. That slide includes Tuesday night's fall-from-ahead defeat at home, where even the much-anticipated team debut of 29-year-old reliever Richard "Dicky" Lovelady didn't provide the fans any pleasure.
Part of the sting of the Mets' slump has come from the fact that they're losing to three of the most frustrating and annoying franchises on the schedule. They got swept by the Rays in three by a combined score of 24-9. They managed one win in Philly to break up 10-2 and 7-1 drubbings. And if you didn't know already, I bet you can guess the remaining tormentor: the Atlanta Braves.
Down in Georgia, the Mets saw the devil in the form of a 10th-inning walk-off sac fly, a 5-0 shutout, and a 7-1 slaughter. Back at home on Monday, they failed to squeeze out a comeback after falling into an early hole, dropping the first game of the series 3-2. On Tuesday, again suffering broiling heat even at night, the team got a boost with a three-run fourth but self-destructed in the sixth. After starter Frankie Montas exited the game, Huascar Brazobán immediately walked three and gave up a sac fly. José Castillo's three batters went single, HBP, single. Reed Garrett got them out of the inning, but not before Matt Olson hit what would stand up as the game-winning two-run knock.
And what of Dicky Lovelady? The classic quadruple-A lefty, signed by the team a day earlier after an excellent run with the St. Paul Saints, pitched a strong 1.2 innings and then ran out of gas, walking a pair and serving up a double to Olson before getting yanked. But Dicky Lovelady is the least of the Mets' problems. Prized arm Kodai Senga is injured, as is another key starter in Tylor Megill. Edwin Diaz hasn't had a save opportunity since June 12. Their intriguing generation of young hitters—namely Brett Baty, Francisco Alvarez, and Mark Vientos—have a long way to go. Pete Alonso is petering out after a booming start. Francisco Lindor recently emerged from an 0-for-20 odyssey and went 0-for-5 on Tuesday. Juan Soto, playing really good ball by the standards of his Met career so far, isn't enough to carry the rest of the lineup.
Even the best teams in a long MLB season lose a bunch, and given the openness and randomness of the postseason, a disastrous few weeks doesn't hurt you like it did in the olden days. But it's not fun! And it needs to be stopped eventually, ideally sooner rather than later. The cushion the Mets built for themselves over the first few months of the season means it's a little easier to not freak out, and the upcoming Pirates series makes an enticing meal for a starving team. Still, there's two more games left in the heat against the goddarn Braves. The Mets could use some good news. The city as a whole, however, is feeling pretty nice today.
