Mets' bats fall silent during a seven-game losing streak, scoring just 63 runs all season and facing an uphill battle.
Heading into the final game of three against the Los Angeles Dodgers on Thursday, the New York Mets aren’t in the position everybody expected them to be in. The Mets have lost seven in a row and are on the verge of avoiding back-to-back series sweeps.
They have a record of just 7-11 through the first three weeks – a stark contrast from the position most baseball fans expect them to be in by the end of the season. Perhaps the early-season struggles aren’t all that surprising, however, as the roster underwent a huge overhaul during the offseason. It may be taking longer than anticipated, but New York is clearly still finding itself.
The obvious problem for the Mets is their production at the plate. As a team, they rank 28th in the MLB in OPS at just .625. With just 63 runs scored across 18 games, New York averages just 3.5 runs per game. During their current seven-game skid, the Mets have only scored more than two runs one time, including scoring zero runs on three different occasions.
Superstar outfielder Juan Soto being sidelined due to a calf strain has certainly played a part in the offensive woes, but it has been brutal to see nobody else on the star-studded roster step up in his absence. Bo Bichette, Jorge Polanco, Marcus Semien, Carson Benge, Mark Vientos, and Brett Baty all have an OPS under .600, with Francisco Lindor barely making it over that threshold with a .607 OPS.
For a team with a payroll nearing $300 million, that is simply unacceptable. With almost every one of their offensive producers having poor starts to the year, it’s no wonder why the Mets sit in last place in the National League East.
The pitching has been above league average to start the year, but it still hasn't been enough to offset the minimal offensive production. Despite giving up just seven runs in the last three games, the Mets’ one run scored in that same time makes the pitching value useless. Scoring just one run in their last 29 innings is flat-out horrendous for a lineup that contains the names the Mets do.
Yes – it’s still just three weeks into the year, and it would be unforeseen if the offensive numbers didn’t improve, but that doesn’t make this stretch any more acceptable. Mets fans saw how long poor streaks can last just last season, after completely collapsing in the last couple of months of the season. That prolonged fall down the standings is exactly what led to the complete overhaul New York underwent in the winter – it was to avoid these stretches.
Again, this seven-game stretch doesn’t equate to the end of 2025, but it’s setting a poor standard for a Mets team that should be not only at the top of their division, but possibly even at the top of all of baseball. With a not-so-easy next couple of series, you have to wonder when things are going to change on offense to give this team the much-needed boost they need in the standings.
As difficult as it is to see right now, I still don't doubt that, sooner or later, the bats will catch up with the pitching. For now, the goal is avoiding a second consecutive sweep.