SEATTLE — Led by a varied and punishing attack, the New York Mets dominated the middle months of the summer, first regaining their place in the National League postseason and then pushing themselves further. The Mets’ powerful bats loomed as a huge marginal advantage — a strength that may set them apart from their peers in the playoff fringe — in a confused senior circuit devoid of its usual standouts.
But rather than thriving since the All-Star break, that offense has mostly faltered. It was starved in a 6-0 loss to the Mariners on Friday night.
Three Seattle relievers including Bryce Miller combined for the shutout. The right-handed Miller combined heaters over the zone with a downward biting splitter, and the combination works well. The Mets had very few opportunities: two doubles with two outs in the first inning, and a two-on, no-out situation against the Seattle bullpen in the seventh inning that cost them the game.
Out of their eight at-bats with a runner in scoring position, Miller was the only one to face them twice.
“They executed their plan,” said Francisco Lindor. “Hats off to them.”
Now it feels like you are walking off the beach and into a tax audit when you go from Coors Field to T-Mobile Park. It is a disorienting change in tone that would unmoor almost any transgression.
But the Mets’ offense has struggled a few times in recent weeks, not just on Friday night. Since the All-Star break, 21 games have been played by New York. The Mets have not crossed home plate four times in more than half of them. They have not even reached three in an even third of them.
There is no one person to blame, just like in every offensive slump. That being said, Lindor and Brandon Nimmo at the top of the lineup were a major factor in the Mets’ resurgence. Nimmo has not been feeling well since the split. He is batting despite a double on Friday.164 with a pitiful.287 on-base percentage.a second-half slugging percentage of 205.
Lindor owns a .531 OPS over the last two weeks, with just one extra-base hit.
Here, we do not want to turn this into a Mount Rainier situation. Others in the lineup, such as Pete Alonso and J.D. Martinez, have been playing better lately, and Lindor and Nimmo will not be playing like this for too long.
If, however, your thoughts have strayed to possible October three-game wild-card series scenarios, there are worse guesses than this weekend’s series in Seattle versus Miller, Logan Gilbert, and Luis Castillo. The Mariners, who had the best home ERA in the majors by almost a half-run at 2.85 going into Friday, are as tough a challenge as any in baseball when they play in their own park. They trailed Miller, who is perhaps their fifth-best starter, on Friday.
The Mets’ current losing streak has shown how much they depend on their offense to be not just effective but a game-changer. Neither Cleveland’s outstanding bullpen nor Seattle’s excellent rotation are available to New York. The Mets’ lineup determines their chances of making it to October and of causing havoc once they do. On Saturday, it will have another chance against Gilbert, a top starter.
Jose Quintana had a difficult night due to the lack of offense; his final line (6 2/3 innings, five earned runs) was about as deceptive as it gets. Quintana retired 14 straight Mariners into the seventh inning after giving up a two-run home run in the second. Two gently hit groundballs to the right side and a leadoff walk enabled Seattle to score four runs in the first, three of which were tagged for Quintana.
(Photo of Pete Alonso: Jason Redmond / Associated Press)
