Note: Mets are Seven Games Out of First
After last night’s loss to the Yankees, the Mets fell to 20-23 on the year, and with the Phillies 5-1 win over the Red Sox, the Mets remain in last place, and they are now seven games behind Philadelphia for first place.
It was just three weeks ago, the Mets rolled into Philadelphia with an seven game winning streak, pummeled the Phillies in a 9-1 rout, and sat 1.5 games ahead of the Phillies for first place in the National League East.
Since that game, the Mets have gone 6-14 while the Phillies have gone 14-5, and the Mets have gone from first to last place over that span, dropping 8.5 games in the standings in three weeks.
The Mets have pitched to a 4.97 ERA in the month of May, allowing 167 runs and have compiled 82 walks in 175 2/3, and while the Mets offense has been abysmal, David Wright has 14 RBI, Rod Barajas has 13 RBI, and Jeff Francoeur has 10 RBI this month, but they have hit .245 as a team and have scored 81 runs in 20 games so far this month, ten of those coming in one game on Thursday night against the Nationals.
The Mets have been outscored by more than two to one so far this month, and 11 of their last 12 losses have been decided by two or fewer runs.
If their starts against the Phillies are omitted, Johan Santana has a 2.49 ERA and Mike Pelfrey has a 3.92 ERA in May, but at the end of the day, no Mets starter has an ERA below 4.72 this month, and that belongs to, of all people, John Maine.
…outside of their eight game winning streak, these kinds of numbers have been a common theme throughout the early part of the season, and at this point, i have to wonder when it’s not early anymore…during that span they got brilliant starting pitching as they allowed more than three runs just once over that span…
…i think it’s easy to pin their problems on coaching and management, and it’s a fair gripe, but ultimately, no matter who the manager is or who the coaches are, the offense has to produce, as they have enough talent and enough money invested in that talent to have better situational hitting and be more productive at the plate…from a starting pitching standpoint, i’d hate to beat a dead horse, but this was the overriding question throughout the winter and Spring Training, and it’s coming back to bite them in a big and bad way, as no team can compete with just two starting pitchers, two guys they hope pitch like they did three years ago, and a guy who’s basically a rookie coming off major leg surgery, no matter who manages them or who coaches them…i’m as big a critic as anyone of how Jerry Manuel has managed the pitching staff and used his bullpen in the way he has, but if the starters are going to consistently be removed by the fourth or fifth inning because of ineffectiveness, inefficiency, or both, then what is he to do other than burn through the bullpen on a daily basis…it’s a no win situation for him in the end…
…ladies and gentlemen, it’s about starting pitching, or a lack thereof this season…
