The New York Mets were thriving in July, a month that saw them finish with a quality 17-10 record. The baseball season is long, though, and August has been a nightmare in many ways for the team.
After dropping a heartbreaking game that they were four outs away from winning on Wednesday night in Arizona, the Mets’ August record fell to a mediocre 12-13. That, for an organization in the middle of a Wild Card race, can put a dent in their chances.
The most disappointing thing of all is not their record per se, it’s how it happened. The Mets have accumulated some soul-crushing losses this month, games that could have made them look much better in the standings had they won them, or at least some of them.
This graphic by SNY shows it all. These are the games that the Mets should have taken, but didn’t. Now, they are four games out of a playoff spot as a result:
Three of those games were against mediocre competition: the ones against the Los Angeles Angels, the Oakland Athletics, and the Miami Marlins. The August 15 contest vs. the A’s was particularly painful, as they held a five-run lead against one of the worst squads in MLB.
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Crushing losses have affected the Mets’ chances
The most recent ones, the games vs. San Diego and Arizona, were very closely contested but the Mets were five and four outs away, respectively. Late-inning relief failed them, and they wound up losing both.
The Mets’ bullpen does have a mediocre 4.14 ERA in August, good for 18th in MLB. But most of their late-inning issues stem from closer Edwin Diaz’s inability to offer consistency and return to form.
Diaz has allowed runs in his last two games, which happen to be the losses highlighted in the graphic against the Padres and D-Backs. He has gotten just two outs in those contests, allowing four runs and two homers.
Everyone in the organization, from manager Carlos Mendoza to the coaches, pitchers, and defense, needs to work hard to put the Mets in a better position to win close games late, particularly when it comes to protecting leads.
Their immediate future and playoff aspirations depend on that. As things stand, the Mets can’t wait for August to end.
