New York Mets Struggle to Gain Lead Over Eight Days
The New York Mets are no longer sputtering. The car is flipped over, gas is pouring into the engine, and the whole damn thing is up in flames. No team should ever say the season is over in April, but no other team has flown off the rails the way the Mets have.
The New York Mets were cruising at the beginning of the season. The club went 7-3 during its first 10 games. How did the rest of the NL East do during their first 10 games of the season? The Washington Nationals went 3-7. The Philadelphia Phillies also went 3-7. The Atlanta Braves hovered around .500 at 4-6, while the Miami Marlins were at .500, going 5-5 during their first 10 games.
Two weeks later, the Mets have won only one game. New York’s record is 8-13 and they have lost 10 of their last 11 games played. If April is a microcosm for the rest of the year, it’s going to be a long season for Mets fans.
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So far, only three Mets hitters are hitting with at least a .270 batting average. Michael Conforto is hitting .302/.385/.605. Jay Bruce is slashing .289/.379/.566 and has six homers. Lucas Duda is slugging .571, but he is striking out in 30 percent of his at-bats.
During this two-week skid, Conforto and Bruce produced at the plate. However, Yoenis Cespedes, destroyer of baseballs, hit .238/.369/.238.
The Mets are not just losing games, they are also losing players. Cespedes left Thursday afternoon’s game with the assistance of New York’s training staff. Ominously, Noah Syndergaard was scratched as Thursday’s starter, reported Anthony DiComo of MLB.com. The Mets lost that game against the Braves.
Syndergaard joins Seth Lugo and Steven Matz on the list of injured pitchers. The latter two are currently on the 10-day disabled list.
Mets manager Terry Collins is still hopeful that the team can turn the season around despite its injury woes. “It’s now time to go out and grind it out like we did last year,” Collins said, addressing the team.
The Mets made the playoffs last year, winning 87 games. With 141 games left, the club needs 79 more wins. They need to play .560 ball from here on out to entertain playoff hopes.
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There is no timetable for Cespedes’ return; he is scheduled for an MRI today. Syndergaard has said he could be back on the field by Sunday. Though Collins agrees, he expressed caution: “It’s quite obvious that we cannot take a chance on him, hurting this guy.”