The New York Mets finished out their road trip with another loss, but Mets players defended their manager.
These are tense times for the New York Mets. They’ve lost 11 in a row. They can’t hit, they mostly can’t pitch and their defense has been sketchy. Their GM just traveled to Chicago on the final day of the road trip, and the Mets are at a pivot point where their lost road trip could easily become a lost season.
It’s tough, especially when you’re going through it,” manager Carlos Mendoza said in an article written by Anthony DiComo of MLB.com. “You feel like you got to the ninth inning feeling good, but when you’re playing one-run games you have to be perfect, and it’s hard to play like that. It’s a tough stretch right now. Not much to say.”
Mendoza was right not to defend his charges. The Mets could only manage to eke out a single run in yesterday’s 2-1 loss in 10 innings, and Mets starters entered the last game of the road trip with an era of 6.25, according to DiComo. The skid is now the seventh longest in franchise history, and the Mets put up some pretty amazing losing streaks during the early years.
The clubhouse leaders finally stepped up to defend Mendoza, but ti took a while.
“It’s absolutely on us,” said closer Devin Williams, whose blown save was the key to loss #11. “[Mendoza] doesn’t swing the bat and he doesn’t throw a baseball. We’ve been in a lot of these games. It’s been close. Him or somebody else is not affecting that. If we’re not getting the job done, somebody else isn’t just magically gonna flip a switch and we’re gonna get it done. He’s putting guys in good positions. We’re not performing.”
The biggest underperforming Met is shortstop Francisco Lindor. He’s not hitting, and Lindor is making mental errors in the field and on the base paths. He also defended Mendoza, as well he should because Mendoza has backed him when Lindor has been playing some horrible baseball.
Lindor added: “He’s done a fantastic job. This is not on him. He has made sure everyone here is prepared. Every coach here is prepared. We have the information, it comes down on us. Mendy’s our guy. He’s our leader. He’s in control and he’s done a tremendous job.”
You could make the argument that the Mets don’t have a leader right now, but they still have games to play. That starts tomorrow night against the Minnesota Twins, and as Lindor noted, “it’s gonna get very loud” at Citi Field.
The silence will be deafening today when the Mets get back to New York, however, and it will be interesting to see if Mendoza still has a job when the Mets take the field by the end of the day