Are the Mets Just Bad

[batmagadanleadoff]

They lost two of three to the Marlins, so far. I guess the thing to do now is to forfeit the rest of their games and go home. And kill themselves. And donate the rest of their salaries to charities. And then go play some golf.

And look forward to the 2025 schedule. I reconsidered. The 2025 Mets schedule is the loveliest schedule I ever did see. I'm loving it.

The Mets are so bad now. Just horrible. Bad Mets. Bad.

But if the Mets win tomorrow, I reserve the right to change my opinion and post that the Mets are a juggernaut.

[Fman99]

Teams come out of the break cold sometimes. I am not worried (yet). A win today would help.

[batmagadanleadoff]

They lost two of three to the Marlins, so far. I guess the thing to do now is to forfeit the rest of their games and go home. And kill themselves. And donate the rest of their salaries to charities. And then go play some golf.

And look forward to the 2025 schedule. I reconsidered. The 2025 Mets schedule is the loveliest schedule I ever did see. I'm loving it.

The Mets are so bad now. Just horrible. Bad Mets. Bad.

But if the Mets win tomorrow, I reserve the right to change my opinion and post that the Mets are a juggernaut.

Nobody can beat the Mets! Bring on the Dodgers!

[Johnny Lunchbucket]

What's interesting or maybe worrisome about the Mets is that they've demonstrated they were about the worst team in the league and about the best team in the league with more or less the same core guys. They are capable of both. They will always be capable of both.

[The Hot Corner]

What's interesting or maybe worrisome about the Mets is that they've demonstrated they were about the worst team in the league and about the best team in the league with more or less the same core guys. They are capable of both. They will always be capable of both.

Of course, you're right, but don't rain on our parade. It's too much fun.

Vientos replacing Baty and the promotion/emergence of Inglesias seemed to really boost the offense. Lindor and Nimmo finding their strokes didn't hurt either. Hopefully, they can stay hot. Now if only Alonso could get his bat going.

[Edgy MD]

Vientos replacing Baty and the promotion/emergence of Inglesias seemed to really boost the offense. Lindor and Nimmo finding their strokes didn't hurt either. Hopefully, they can stay hot. Now if only Alonso could get his bat going.

Hot Corner apparently not a big proponent of The Grimace Thesis.

[batmagadanleadoff]

What's interesting or maybe worrisome about the Mets is that they've demonstrated they were about the worst team in the league and about the best team in the league with more or less the same core guys. They are capable of both. They will always be capable of both.

That's baseball.

And not to sound like a 20-20 hindsight guy, but I always thought that this team was capable of raking, even before the awesome ascendancy of Mark Vientos. This team had a lot of name-brand offense. Alonso, Lindor, Nimmo, Martinez, Alvarez and McNeil. Yes, McNeil, who was an excellent hitter for most of his career.

[The Hot Corner]

Vientos replacing Baty and the promotion/emergence of Inglesias seemed to really boost the offense. Lindor and Nimmo finding their strokes didn't hurt either. Hopefully, they can stay hot. Now if only Alonso could get his bat going.

Hot Corner apparently not a big proponent of The Grimace Thesis.

Well, I haven't seen Grimace get any hits, but I'm happy if he inspired the team to play better. I'm willing to let Hamburglar throw out the first pitch at a game should the Mets suddenly revert to their May form.

[batmagadanleadoff]

What's interesting or maybe worrisome about the Mets is that they've demonstrated they were about the worst team in the league and about the best team in the league with more or less the same core guys. They are capable of both. They will always be capable of both.

That's baseball.

Summed up by Jason Fry of Faith and Fear a lot better than I did:

That’s a lot of words to restate a baseball truism we don’t like to acknowledge: No one knows anything.

https://www.faithandfearinflushing.com/

[metirish]

Yes

[Johnny Lunchbucket]

What's interesting or maybe worrisome about the Mets is that they've demonstrated they were about the worst team in the league and about the best team in the league with more or less the same core guys. They are capable of both. They will always be capable of both.

That's baseball.

Yabbut what I meant was this new swoon shouldn't surprise us a bit yet it does a little. Once a team demonstrates it can have a bad month, it can definitely have another bad month.

[MFS62]

Last week, they were third from the last in batting with RISP.
Not sure how much that changed in the last series since they didn't get that many runners into scoring position.
But that is the symptom most obvious. (and painful to watch)
I'm not sure they have the cure.

Later

[Edgy MD]

Two former YGB signatures come to mind.

　　YNaGaYTYAWYW. YNaBaYTYAWYL.

　　La stagione è lunga e dura.

[Johnny Lunchbucket]

That wasn't me, that was Dog C. And I'm not sure I agree with that.

[Chad ochoseis]

I want to believe it's all just fatigue from being yanked from Southern California to St. Louis to Colorado to Seattle without a rest day. That's a lot of flying, and three different time zones.

[Benjamin Grimm]

It was a 4-6 stretch. Not ideal, but not crippling in early August. There's plenty of time to recover. We'll just have to see if they do.

[kcmets]

YNaGaYTYAWYW. YNaBaYTYAWYL.

That was Prof G, not hammerq.... haha...

[Edgy MD]

Well, I think all competitors, when measured against the arc of time and history, will trend toward mediocrity. If the competition doesn't get you, time and rot and fatigue will. If you can't get the competition, eventually time and rot and fatigue will catch up with them for you.

What makes it interesting is that everyday is a struggle against that trend, and so we revel in how long we and the heroes we allow to embody us can sustain that struggle.

This series was a victory for Seattle. Maybe, at another time and place, it might be a victory for the Mets. But time and rot and fatigue were always going to win.

Those black pants, tho'.

[TheNextMetsManager]

not bad, just meh. Does Stearns have it in him to be bold? probably not.

remains true. A few bullpen arms and Jesse Winker probably didn't push the playoff chances much.

[batmagadanleadoff]

Well, I think all competitors, when measured against the arc of time and history, will trend toward mediocrity. If the competition doesn't get you, time and rot and fatigue will. If you can't get the competition, eventually time and rot and fatigue will catch up with them for you.

What makes it interesting is that everyday is a struggle against that trend, and so we revel in how long we and the heroes we allow to embody us can sustain that struggle.

This series was a victory for Seattle. Maybe, at another time and place, it might be a victory for the Mets. But time and rot and fatigue were always going to win.

Those black pants, tho'.

All of them? They're all mediocre? Every last one of them?

[Edgy MD]

No, that's not what I wrote.

[batmagadanleadoff]

Oh. They all trend towards mediocrity.

And that's why the Mets went 4-6 on this last road trip?

Eventually, they'll all be dead, too.

[Centerfield]

Some splits.

The Mets are now 8th in MLB in runs scored. Tied with San Diego, though we have played one less game.

They were 8th in MLB in runs scored Pre-All Star, and are 9th in MLB in the second half. So while they've definitely cooled down from their torrid stretch, their second half hitting is more or less like their first.

As far as pitching, the Mets are 19th in team ERA, and 22nd in WHIP. Obviously not great. The high WHIP is due in large part to the large number of walks (4th highest in MLB).

Their starter ERA is 4.21 (18th) and WHIP is 1.29 (21st).

Bullpen numbers are interesting. Their ERA is actually lower 4.01 (15th)., but their WHIP is similar to that of the starters: 1.31 (21st). I would have thought our bullpen numbers would be a lot worse.

I guess the numbers back up our overall impression of the team. They hit well enough to make the playoffs, but the pitching isn't really there.

[batmagadanleadoff]

Some splits.

The Mets are now 8th in MLB in runs scored. Tied with San Diego, though we have played one less game.

They were 8th in MLB in runs scored Pre-All Star, and are 9th in MLB in the second half. So while they've definitely cooled down from their torrid stretch, their second half hitting is more or less like their first.

As far as pitching, the Mets are 19th in team ERA, and 22nd in WHIP. Obviously not great. The high WHIP is due in large part to the large number of walks (4th highest in MLB).

Their starter ERA is 4.21 (18th) and WHIP is 1.29 (21st).

Bullpen numbers are interesting. Their ERA is actually lower 4.01 (15th)., but their WHIP is similar to that of the starters: 1.31 (21st). I would have thought our bullpen numbers would be a lot worse.

I guess the numbers back up our overall impression of the team. They hit well enough to make the playoffs, but the pitching isn't really there.

What's their scoring rate since Martinez started playing and since Vientos was promoted from Syracuse and started playing every day? I know that those early games count just as much in the standings as every other game, but is it really accurate to look at the Mets as an amalgamation of the whole season or are the Mets a markedly different team now? I've brought up this point before.

[CitiFieldPornRoom]

The Mets are a mediocre team still, in general. More things have gone right than wrong, so they're slightly better than mediocre perhaps now, but on average, they're not really better than the Padres, Diamondbacks, or Braves. That doesn't mean they can't beat them, or things can't go more right for them, but they're playing with a slight handicap in talent and the front office has still been treating this year as house money. Huascar Brazobán just got optioned, lending additional credence to the idea that "going for it" wasn't really the main plan of the deadline.

Senga getting hurt again really is the pivot point, imo. Having that real #1 down the stretch would've been key, but now we slide down the depth chart and the 6th best guy gets those innings.

But they've got enough talent to go on a run again too, and if it's now, keeping the Diamondbacks and Padres close, that could be the difference. Alonso can pick it up, so can Alvarez. Winkler at least raises the floor, keeps them from using truly Quad-A folk.

Anything can happen in a short series, but if they're the third WC they're even more overmatched. Probably comes down to if Severino and Manaea are on.

But bottom line is that if Manfred hadn't watered down the playoffs without complementing with expansion, the Mets wouldn't seriously be thinking they were in it.