There’s a certain weight that settles over a team when things start to unravel. Not the crushing blow of a single loss, but the steady drip of missed chances, silent bats, and growing frustration.
That’s where the New York Mets find themselves—trapped in a stretch where even the smallest cracks feel like fault lines.
Their 3-1 loss to the Boston Red Sox on Monday night wasn’t just another tick in the loss column. It was a continuation of a troubling theme—one that’s beginning to wear on fans and players alike.
The kind of stretch where a base hit feels like a minor miracle, and a run scored is cause for cautious celebration rather than relief.
Runners in scoring position? More like runners left stranded
If there’s one number that sums up the Mets’ offensive drought, it’s .135. That’s their batting average with runners in scoring position over the past five games.
On Monday, they went just 1-for-8 in those critical moments, stranding six runners.
That stat alone tells the story: the chances are there, but the execution simply isn’t. Tyrone Taylor’s RBI single was the lone spark of offensive life.
The rest of the lineup? Flickering like a dying lightbulb, giving fans little to hold onto as scoring opportunities come and go like passing trains.
Kodai Senga deserved more from his lineup
Senga gave the Mets what they needed: a quality start. He surrendered three runs over six innings, keeping his team within reach.
But with an offense in a full-blown slump, “within reach” may as well be a mile away.
For Senga and pitchers like him, every start lately must feel like trying to win a race while carrying your teammates on your back. The pressure to be perfect grows with every missed swing and stranded runner.
Juan Soto’s hustle raises eyebrows, again
When effort becomes a storyline, it’s usually not a good sign. Juan Soto’s baserunning, or lack thereof, is back under the microscope after Monday’s game.
A hard-hit ball that looked like a possible double turned into a casual single when Soto hesitated coming out of the box.
It’s not the first time, either. Fans started pointing it out during the Yankees series when he took some time to get out of the box on a ground out, and now it’s back in the spotlight.
Soto brushed off the criticism (and he did steal second base a few moments later), but Mets manager Carlos Mendoza addressed it directly.
While defending his player, he also acknowledged the need for urgency—especially at a place like Fenway Park.
Mendoza said Soto thought ‘he had it’ (a home run) but that he still needed to get out of the box quickly.
It’s a situation that wouldn’t feel so big if the team was winning. But when losses pile up, every misstep—mental or physical—gets amplified.
Star trio stuck in a cold spell
At the heart of this offensive drought lies the Mets’ star trio: Francisco Lindor, Pete Alonso, and Juan Soto. These are the bats the team counts on to do damage, to swing momentum, to turn slumps into rallies.
Instead, they’ve gone quiet. Lindor is 1-for-his-last-22, Alonso 5-for-his-last-26, and Soto 4-for-his-last-20. On Monday, they managed just two hits combined, with zero extra-base hits. No team survives for long when its core players are this cold.
It’s like having three engines stall at once mid-flight—you can glide for a while, but sooner or later, you start to drop.
Alonso’s defensive miscues raise quiet concerns
Pete Alonso’s recent troubles aren’t just at the plate. His defense has become a talking point after a pair of shaky plays at first base.
Sunday’s error against the Yankees was costly. On Monday, he appeared tentative again—this time on a routine grounder where he couldn’t make a clean toss to Kodai Senga covering first.
It didn’t lead to a run, but it’s the kind of play that sticks in the mind.
When a slugger struggles with the bat, defensive slip-ups feel heavier. They’re symptoms of a player pressing, thinking too much, trying too hard to shake a slump by forcing moments rather than letting them come.
The Mets don’t lack talent. But in baseball, as in life, the gap between potential and results can stretch wide and cruel. Right now, they’re stuck somewhere in that gap, waiting for a spark.
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