Where Have All the Good Vibes Gone
Wacky Wednesday in Flushing, woof...
Image credit: Chris Simon
Ah, the power of positive thinking. Well, maybe.
All the happy thoughts in the world couldn’t keep this year’s incarnation of the New York Mets from succumbing to their obligatory monthlong swoon (4-12 in August; June came late this season!), effectively throwing a mountain in their once-paved path to the postseason.
With their 3-2 loss to the Giants on Tuesday — their fifth loss in a row and ninth in their last 12 — the Mets dropped four-and-a-half games back of the NL East-leading Braves and below .500 (59-60) for the first time since May 5.
The Mets have now experienced an eight-and-a-half-game swing in the standings over their last 20 games, going from four up in the division on July 28 to their current position on August 18.
For the Mets, a public-facing bright outlook has been a hallmark this season, no matter the situation. Even-keeled, eyes on tomorrow but not too far ahead, all that jazz.
We’re with it, as you’re well aware. It’s a long season and allowing the many ups and downs of 162 to get to you can be harmful.
On the flip side of that coin, amid all of the embracing of the process, a breakdown occurred (many, in fact) and the necessary adjustments were never made to get things back on track once they went awry.
Where the blame shifts in that scenario will likely be revealed in the organization’s offseason moves but there’s certainly going to be some changes made.
Keeping one’s head up through the tough times is admirable. Ignoring an issue until it overcomes you is a problem. The Mets have reached that point.
We’ve gone on about the inconsistency of the offense, the step back in starting pitching, the general uncomfortable feeling that began setting in about a month ago that, even with a full, healthy staff, something still wasn’t adding up.
We waited for things to click. And they would, but only in fleeting flashes of production. Then right back to the caverns of RISP hell (4-for-41 during their five-game losing streak).
Pete Alonso’s two-run homer in the eighth on Tuesday breathed life into the Mets, but only for a second. Jeff McNeil’s leadoff base hit in the ninth was for naught and that was that.
After the game, Alonso’s perpetual positivity while speaking with the media was dashed in short order by fans. They’d heard it before and the situation has only worsened since.
Mets owner Steve Cohen shared his opinion on the team’s glaring deficiencies on social media Wednesday morning. That got more of a reaction.
A team owner speaking so bluntly regarding his team’s on-field performance was unquestionably a bit jarring. You just don’t see that too often outside of the late George Steinbrenner or Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, to name a couple.
And it’s not necessarily a bad thing (wouldn’t be our chosen course of action), just odd.
That said, they were sentiments that had to be shared. The climate around this team has changed dramatically in recent weeks and the cadence coming out of the clubhouse hasn’t wavered from the positive vibes that had been projected all season.
Again, that’s fine too. But the quality of play has to improve or it’s all just hot air getting blown around.
At the plate, things have not improved. Like, at all. Time will tell if that tide turns. Clock’s ticking. On the mound, things are stabilizing. But apparently, even that’s not good enough for some folks.
Marcus Stroman put forth an A+ effort on Tuesday, adding to his already stellar season (2.84 ERA, seventh in MLB) with seven innings of work, allowing three earned runs on two home runs — Tommy La Stella in the first, Evan Longoria in the seventh — with nine strikeouts on a season-high 114 pitches (most since 2017).
Gutty performance. Team-on-his-back sort of night. Exactly what the Mets needed.
On Wednesday morning, Tim Healey of Newsday inexplicably (well, almost) focused on Stroman’s actions after the game (article behind paywall).
Whether this had anything to do with Stroman leaving his media availability session saying, “man, I’m done answering these guys’ questions,” after responding with a “no clue” about the Mets’ inability to capitalize on opportunities will likely remain unknown.
Why the night’s starting pitcher, coming off an outstanding outing amidst a career year while his team is free-falling in the standings is being asked about the team’s offensive struggles is also a puzzler. Almost like it was an invite to throw his teammates under the bus.
Stroman did all he could to secure a much-needed win on Tuesday, including his 100.2 MPH fifth-inning single to put two men on for Brandon Nimmo (inning-ending line out to second). His performance deserved better than the coverage it got in this case.
Cohen’s tweet may light a fire, but at least that criticism was accurately aimed. Onward.
The Mets can leave San Francisco with a win before heading to Los Angeles for four after the game. Let’s see if that pans out.
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Good vibes are hard to come by with this team right now. Stay strong for us, Tim!
LFGM