From the start, the Mets’ series finale against the Chicago White Sox on Wednesday afternoon didn’t look promising.
Even before Griffin Canning allowed two runs in the top of the first, the game’s start time was bumped up from 7:10 p.m. to 1:10 p.m. due to inclement weather expected at night, and when the game got underway the weather still wasn’t great.
Perhaps that can help explain why Canning didn’t look sharp for the second straight start (his last outing against the Los Angeles Dodgers was cut short because of a lengthy rain delay), although he didn’t use that as an excuse after the game.
“Just not very good, not very competitive out there,” he said. “Kinda just let the team down (with) how I set the tone.”
While Canning’s three innings of five-run ball (three earned) with four walks was not what New York was hoping for as it failed to get the sweep of the White Sox following a 9-4 loss, the bigger concern remains the team’s inability to hit with runners in scoring position.
Even with Mark Vientos launching a two-out, opposite-field three-run homer with runners on first and third to get the Mets closer and make it a 5-3 ballgame in the third inning, the offense went just 2-for-12 with RISP.
Entering Wednesday, New York was hitting .212 with RISP — the fourth-worst mark in the majors and the worst in the NL. That number only got worse after the series finale.
“We gotta get better with runners in scoring position. We are all aware,” manager Carlos Mendoza said after the game. “Yes, the underlying numbers (are encouraging), but at the end of the day we gotta get the job done, right? I thought yesterday we took some better at-bats, today not so much.”
Indeed, the Mets only managed five hits on the day but walked eight times, including five times in the first 3.2 innings against Chicago starter Shane Smith, which is why they had so many scoring opportunities. But once again, the offense couldn’t break through.
To make matters worse, former Mets top pitching prospect Mike Vasil pitched three scoreless innings against his old club, allowing just two hits and a walk while striking out five to lower his season ERA to 2.10 in his first big league season.
“That’s just baseball,” Vientos said. “Baseball is a game that’s six months, seven months of the year and you’re hot, you’re cold and then you’re in the middle. That’s just the name of the game.”
While the skipper understands his team’s offensive struggles at the moment, he shares his third baseman’s confidence that things will turn around.
“We got a lot of good hitters there, I’m pretty confident that at the end of the year the numbers are gonna be where they need to be, especially with runners in scoring position,” Mendoza said. “But right now we gotta continue to find a way. We gotta find a way to get the job done and we will.”
What’s helped New York get past the woes offensively are wins.
Despite the laboring offense, the Mets are 34-22 — good for second in the NL East. It’s part of the reason some players inside the clubhouse aren’t worried about the offense.
“The way I look at it is if this is us struggling and we’re winning games, imagine when we’re not,” Vientos said. “I don’t think the whole season is gonna be like this. I hope to believe that it’s not gonna be like this, that’s just baseball — you’re always waiting for that hot streak and I know it’s coming for us.”
In theory, Vientos is right. Once the Mets start hitting like the team is capable of then they should presumably take off.
However, the problem with that thinking is it assumes that every other aspect of the team remains the same. Yes, right now New York is getting carried by its pitching, both starting and relief. But what happens if/when both of those areas falter like they likely will at some point in a long season?
The answer: Games like Wednesday’s.
“We gotta be better,” Mendoza said.
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