After the Mets' 10-3 loss to the Chicago Cubs on Wednesday night at Wrigley Field, manager Carlos Mendoza and players spoke about the team's defense and the wild-card race…
Mets' defense needs to be cleaned up
The Mets have played sloppy baseball over the last few games, and it has cost them in some respects. In Tuesday's eventual win, miscues and errors put the Mets behind the eight-ball before the offense caught fire to make their comeback. But the sloppy defense of Mark Vientos and others put the game out of reach.
After Francisco Alvarez's two-run bomb in the fifth put the Mets on the board and cut the Cubs' lead to 6-2, the bottom half of the inning saw Vientos, starting at third base, back off on a two-out grounder by Pete Crow-Armstrong and then launch the ball into the ground that Pete Alonso could not come up with. The throwing error allowed Moises Ballesteros to score from third base and PCA to go to second. The play took away momentum from the Mets.
The inning got worse, as Clay Holmes threw a wild pitch that let PCA get to third, but the young outfielder hustled home, noticing Holmes was late covering the plate and slid in safely to put the Cubs up 8-2.
Before the game, Mendoza said the Mets players knew they had to be better than that and maintained that stance afterward.
"They are routine plays, at this level you expect them to be made," Mendoza said of Vientos' error. "We just have to be better."
The Mets skipper was asked if he felt if the error was a result of Vientos trying too hard, and Mendoza didn't see it that way.
"Those are routine plays. This is the big leagues, routine plays, we expect those plays to be made. And they know that."
"We have to clean it up," Francisco Lindor said after the game about the team's defense. "It’s not for a lack of effort. Everyone’s putting their time. Everyone was out there taking groundballs, doing their thing. It’s just stuff that happens. Part of the game. We have to be better. I take full responsibility for my mistakes, and I’m sure everyone here takes full responsibility for their mistakes, as well. We know how to play the game, we know what to do, we just got to get it done."
Mendoza had Vientos start at third base against the left-handed Matthew Boyd on Wednesday. He sacrificed defense for offense and admitted as such after the game, but said there were other factors to his decision.
"There’s a balance there when you’re facing a lefty," Mendoza explained. "Jonah [Tong] is a flyball pitcher. You’re trying to create some offense too, and Mark is one of those guys, especially when we’re facing lefties. He will continue to get opportunities."
Vientos went 1-for-4 with two strikeouts on Wednesday and is hitting .180 (9-for-50) with a home run and four RBI over his last 15 games.
Mets scoreboard watching
The Mets are one of three teams vying for the final NL wild card spot. Entering Wednesday's games, the Mets controlled their own destiny as they sat one game ahead of both the Diamondbacks and Reds.
The Reds' game against the Pirates finished before the Mets-Cubs tilt and Mendoza said he noticed the score when Wednesday's eventual loss got out of hand. Despite the favor the Pirates gave the Mets, the team is only worried about how they are playing and they know they need to figure it out fast.
"You can’t worry about [the Reds], you gotta play better," Mendoza said. "It doesn’t matter what other teams are doing, it starts with us. We’re better than that."
"We control our own destiny. It’s all about winning," Lindor said. "It’s only natural that we peek. Everyone is on it as well. We want to win because we control our destiny."
With the Reds' loss, the Mets remain one game ahead of Cincinnati for the final spot. Both teams have four games remaining on their schedule. New York finishes their series with the Cubs on Thursday before heading to Miami to take on the Marlins for three. The Reds finish their series against the Pirates before going to Milwaukee for three.
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