What was once a 7-4 New York Mets team fell to 9-19 on the season after they suffered a 3-0 home loss to the Colorado Rockies on Sunday that completed a Colorado sweep of the National League East team for a doubleheader and the three-game series.
While speaking with reporters after the defeat, Mets manager Carlos Mendoza sounded like a man who had no answers for all that’s ailing his club this spring.
Carlos Mendoza: Mets’ woes are “hard to describe”
“It’s hard to explain when you have that many guys that are going through it at the same time,” Mendoza said about his slumping team, per Robert Sanchez of SNY. “It’s just not a good showing, not good at-bats up and down [the lineup]. Overall, not hitting the ball hard consistently and it’s hard. Like I said, it’s hard to explain because usually you get 3-4 guys that go through it, but you got 4-5 guys that can carry you. But right now it’s hard to describe.”
ESPN stats show that the Mets ended the weekend responsible for the fewest runs scored (92) in all of MLB this season. Additionally, the Mets are 27th in the league with a .226 team batting average.
Mendoza was without star outfielder Juan Soto for what became a 12-game losing streak due to a right calf strain. It now seems like shortstop Francisco Lindor will be out of action for the foreseeable future because of a calf strain.
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything like this, to be honest with you, that goes on for so long when you got so many guys struggling at the same time,” Mendoza added.
Is Carlos Mendoza worried about losing his job?
Mets owner Steve Cohen and president of baseball operations David Stearns reportedly don’t want to fire Mendoza, but it’s difficult to see how the skipper will remain employed unless New York experiences a sudden turnaround. According to Will Sammon of The Athletic, “the feeling within the team was that Mendoza deserved more time” before Sunday’s games got underway.
It’s unclear if that feeling exists as of Monday morning.
“The only thing I’m worried about is getting the guys going,” Mendoza said about his uncertain future. “My job is to find a way to get those guys out of the funk.”
Unless a change is made, Mendoza will lead the Mets into a three-game series versus the Washington Nationals (13-16) that is scheduled to get underway at Citi Field on Tuesday evening.