Mets Bad Pitching the Cause of Quarter Season Woes

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - MAY 25: Edwin Díaz #39 of the New York Mets walks off the mound in the ninth inning against the San Francisco Giants at Citi Field on May 25, 2024 in New York City (Photo : (Photo by Mike Stobe/Getty Images))

The New York Mets are amid another stinker of a season. After going 75-87 last year, the Mets have trended backwards this season, with a 22-30 record after Memorial Day Weekend.

The Mets, who have sunk to the bottom of the NL East, are on pace to finish with a record of 69-93, an evident downslope from 2023.

There is still time for New York to turn things around, as they recently picked up a walk-off victory in their last game.  

However, they have lost six of their last seven ahead of their matchup against the Dodgers, who are also struggling.

The Mets can still find themselves amid the NL wild-card race as they are currently only four games out, but this talented crew needs to turn things around quickly if they want to have any hope of making a postseason run this year.

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This Season in Queens

The New York Mets have been shaky all season.

They started 2-6 and then quickly found themselves over .500 with a record of 16-15. They have plummeted since.

The Mets have since fallen further back, failing to build any consistency throughout the season, doing more losing than winning ultimately.

Mets Pitching

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - Kodai Senga (#34) of the New York Mets reacts after giving up a solo home run to Jon Berti of the Miami Marlins in the first inning during game two of a double header at Citi Field on September 27, 2023 in the Flushing neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
(Photo : Miami Marlins v New York Mets - Game Two)

A weakness for the Mets has been their lackluster pitching.

As it stands, there are 16 teams with a better ERA than the Mets.

New York has struggled late in games despite showcasing the ability to put batters away in early innings.

Ace Kodai Senga has been out of the rotation as he continues to rehab a right shoulder injury sustained earlier in the spring.

The Mets are a better team when Senga is in the lineup pitching, being that he is easily one of the better pitchers on the roster and could genuinely help this Mets core.

Edwin Diaz Collapse

Speaking of lousy pitching, Edwin Diaz has experienced a fall from grace like no other.

Diaz, the once prized pitcher for the Mets, is amid an unfortunate slump.  

The usual reliable closer, in their recent matchup against the San Francisco Giants, gave up his fourth save this season.

He struggled in the ninth, giving up two hits, which set up the Giants to take a 7-2 win in the tenth.

Clearly, Diaz has been a different pitcher than in previous years.

So far this year, he has made 19 appearances in 2024, going 1-1 with a 5.21 ERA and 21 strikeouts. He has also surrendered five home runs. 

Over the past few outings, Diaz has given up eight runs and blown three saves, leading to the Mets' current slide.

His slow start to the year may largely be due to missing the whole 2023 season after suffering a patellar tendon injury in the World Baseball Classic last year.

Despite his slip as of late, Mets Manager Carlos Mendoza seems to have a lot of confidence in the closer.

"He's going through it right now," Mendoza said via SNY.tv. 

"Had a week to work on some things, and today, got ambushed on the first pitch and then the way the ball went down the line. We must continue to stay with him, work with him, and get him through it."

"He's a big part of our bullpen... We'll continue to give him the ball and find some matchups for him and get him going," he added.

The New York Mets will need him to turn it around if they have any hope of a postseason berth this year. 

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