It was a weekend to forget for the New York Mets as they were crushed 30-4 over three games by the Pittsburgh Pirates, who sit near the bottom of the National League Central. The Mets couldn’t get anything going, losing 12-1 on Sunday afternoon, capped off by Tommy Pham’s towering home run that sealed a five-run opening inning for Pittsburgh.
Frankie Montas, in his second start of the season, didn’t stand a chance. Pham’s blast was just the icing on the cake for the Pirates, who put the game out of reach before the Mets even made it through their lineup.
It wasn’t just Sunday’s loss; the Mets were swept. Despite facing an offence ranked as one of the league’s worst, they couldn’t apply pressure on Pittsburgh’s pitchers. The Pirates’ pitching staff wasn’t even at full strength, missing phenom Paul Skenes, but New York failed to capitalise.
Manager Carlos Mendoza didn’t mince words after the game. “We are all frustrated, obviously. We’re better than that, and they know that. It’s a tough stretch, but we’ve got to be better. It starts with me. We believe in those guys.”
The Mets’ top hitters – Francisco Lindor, Brandon Nimmo, Juan Soto and Pete Alonso – combined to go just 2-for-15 at the plate in the finale. A solo home run by Luis Torrens in the fifth inning was the only highlight for the Mets.
Defensively, the team struggled as well. This was the first time the Mets allowed nine or more runs in three consecutive games since September 2007, when they lost a seven-game division lead in the final stretch of the season.
The Mets’ struggles continued with a 12-15 month, their worst record this season, and dropped their road record to a disappointing 19-25.
After Saturday’s loss, the team held a players-only meeting, hoping to regroup. But 24 hours later, nothing had changed. Lindor reflected on the situation: “There’s a big league team on the other side. We’ve got to tip our cap to them. They outplayed us. They pitched better than us, they hit better than us, they ran the bases better than us, they played better defence. We’re frustrated, but it’s part of the adversity we’re facing right now.”
Despite the losses, there’s still hope for the Mets, especially with the explosive bat of Juan Soto. The outfielder had an impressive June, hitting .322 with 11 home runs and 20 RBIs. He tied a Mets record for the second-most home runs in a single month and posted a 1.196 OPS, second in team history only to Darryl Strawberry. Soto’s power, along with contributions from Alonso and Lindor, has kept the Mets in contention, just 1 ½ games behind the Phillies in the NL East.
With an off-day on the horizon, Lindor is hopeful the team can regroup. “It’s a tough stretch, but hopefully after the mental day off, we can come back and get back on the horse,” he said.
Photo: Justin Berl/Getty Images
