And You Thought Things Couldn't Get Any Worse...
Injuries and a lack of offense have the Mets reeling
Friends, the Carvel helmet sundae has hit the fan.
On Tuesday, we compared the Mets’ ongoing health battles to a horror film. After another avalanche of gut shots on the injury front on Wednesday, we’re at a loss for another suitable juxtaposition.
Oh, and with their 3-0 defeat to Atlanta on Tuesday night, the Mets have scored just 13 runs over their last eight games, going 2-6 over that span. Woof.
Thanks to the mediocrity of the rest of the National League East, New York’s lead in the division is still at a healthy four games over the Phillies. Though, that won’t last with this level of production fueling the ship.
Let’s take it from the top.
Upon further inspection, Joey Lucchesi’s torn ulnar collateral ligament will indeed require surgery, effectively shutting him down through the latter portion of the 2022 season, if not in its entirety.
This news isn’t just disconcerting to a ballclub that’s now running on an even shorter staff. For a player who was just turning a corner following a dreadful start to his Flushing tenure, it’s an especially jarring blow.
Lucchesi, 28, found his rhythm over the last month, putting up a 1.19 ERA (2.99 FIP) with 24 strikeouts and six walks over his last five starts (May 22 through June 18; 22.2 IP).
In the absence of Noah Syndergaard and Carlos Carrasco from the Mets’ rotation over the first half of the season, the team needed Lucchesi and fellow southpaw David Peterson to pick up the slack.
Despite a bumpy road to get there, both were on their way to accomplishing that goal. Now, only Peterson continues that journey.
In Lucchesi’s case, the progress he made came with tinkering to his delivery, accentuating his already high level of deception, and a focus on simplifying the process.
Needless to say, there will be plenty of positives to build on for Lucchesi as he recovers. Under team control until 2025, there will be plenty of time for the left-hander to continue his ascent in Queens.
And the fun didn’t stop there!
Ahead of Tuesday’s game, Mets manager Luis Rojas confirmed that Robert Gsellman would be shut down for six weeks after tearing his right lateral muscle, putting a dent in the long relief depth that’s been so important to this staff early on.
Gsellman, 27, carried a 2.42 ERA into his June 8 appearance in Baltimore before allowing five earned runs over his last 4.2 innings of work, inflating his earned run average to 3.71 on the year.
The right-hander’s ability to pick up multiple innings at a clip made him a valuable commodity under these conditions. His effectiveness over the first two-plus months of the year only increased Rojas’ confidence in him.
Another devastating turn of events.
And as if things couldn’t get any more desperate, a pillar of the Mets’ early success this season, Marcus Stroman (2.32 ERA over 15 starts), left Tuesday’s loss in the second inning after experiencing left hip soreness.
With further examinations expected on Wednesday, all interested parties are surely hoping for encouraging news. The Mets can’t afford to lose a foundational piece like Stroman for an extended period.
Right-hander Tylor Megill (3.12 ERA over five starts with Double-A Binghamton, 3.77 ERA in three games with Triple-A Syracuse; 59 strikeouts and 12 walks over 40.1 total IP this season), has been tabbed as Wednesday’s starter. Let’s get weird!!
If the Mets were doing anything at all at the plate, this would be just another speed bump. Next man up until the cavalry returns. We know the drill by now.
But without a functionally operating offense, this uphill climb the Mets find themselves on just got doused in baby oil.
Since their 6-3 win over the Cubs last Wednesday, this team — and I mean the entire team — has stopped hitting.
Pete Alonso (.227/.292/.364, 88 wRC+) and Dominic Smith (.222/.333/.278, 80 wRC+) are the closest the Mets have to average hitters over the past week.
Francisco Lindor (.179/.179/.393, 55 wRC+), James McCann (.222/.263/.333, 70 wRC+), Jonathan Villar (.200/.273/.300, 66 wRC+), Kevin Pillar (.111/.158/.278, 22 wRC+). Everyone has fallen off a cliff.
These things will happen over the course of a season. And, to their credit, we’ve seen this club pull themselves out of muckier muck than this so far this year. But, wow, this is tough to watch.
Mets GM Zack Scott noted on Tuesday while speaking with the team’s press corps that the Mets are indeed exploring external depth options in an attempt to fill some gaps before the trade market heats up in earnest over the coming weeks.
Scott was asked about moving some of the team’s higher-end prospects in a potential deal closer to the July 30 trade deadline, and while the first-year GM wasn’t ready to fully reveal his hand, he did reply, “we’re always willing to listen on anything”.
Ears to the pavement, friends. It sounds like there could be help on the way. And boy, could this team use it.
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