Watching the New York Mets play baseball over the weekend was far from enjoyable. They suffered a three-game sweep on the road for the first time this season, courtesy of the Tampa Bay Rays. The Rays, who had been struggling before the weekend, outperformed the Mets in almost every aspect of the game. With a record of 16-18 for the season, there are several names to point fingers at for the Mets’ struggles.
The main culprits for the Mets’ disappointing performance were a lack of timely hitting, poor starting pitching, sloppy defense, and crucial failures from their key relievers. In total, six players bore the brunt of the blame for the Mets’ woes over the weekend.
No. 1 New York Mets player to blame for bad weekend: Pete Alonso
Pete Alonso had a tough time during the weekend series in his hometown of Tampa, managing just one hit in 12 at-bats. His struggles continue, as he now has only one hit in his last 28 at-bats. Alonso’s at-bats were often uncompetitive, marked by chasing pitches outside the strike zone and failing to make solid contact.
What’s more concerning is Alonso’s inability to capitalize with runners in scoring position. A prime example of this was on Sunday when he had two chances with the bases loaded early in the game. In both instances, he failed to deliver, popping out in the third inning and grounding into an inning-ending double play in the next inning. This failure to convert opportunities allowed the Rays to stay in the game and maintain hope of winning.
Alonso’s performance with runners in scoring position this season has been dismal, batting just .138 (4-for-29), a stark contrast to his .257 average in those situations last year and .300 the year before. Alonso needs to improve his approach when batting with men in scoring position soon.
No. 2 New York Mets player to blame for bad weekend: Jeff McNeil
Jeff McNeil had a frustrating weekend, going 1-for-11 in the series with five strikeouts, including three in Sunday’s game. Many of his at-bats were either short or lacked competitiveness. He had only one opportunity with runners in scoring position, and he struck out swinging with the bases loaded to end the third inning on Sunday.
Before Sunday’s game, McNeil had only struck out three times in a game on eight occasions out of 704 games played. Additionally, he has just one hit in his last 18 at-bats. It seems like McNeil (and Alonso) might need some mechanical adjustments.
