Mets: Seth Lugo will soon pass Noah Syndergaard in innings pitched

The second-tier players on the New York Mets are playing more than the stars they opened the season with.

Soon enough, Seth Lugo will pass Noah Syndergaard in innings pitched. This is representative of a big problem for the 2018 New York Mets. Their stars aren’t playing and the second-tier guys are showcased a whole lot more.

As a reliever, Lugo has been impressive this season. It seems to be the role he’s best suited for. During his recent stint as a starting pitcher, we saw a weaker version.

His overall numbers remain positive, but I’m beginning to sense he’s sharpest as a multi-inning threat out of the bullpen. This would work well for the Mets this year if they had starting pitcher depth.

Unfortunately, in a year which started off with too many men for five jobs, depth in the rotation has not continued.

Injuries have certainly played a part. Specifically, it’s Syndergaard’s absence which has hurt the hardest.

When Syndergaard was pitching, critics did what they did best: criticize.

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They would say things insinuating that Syndergaard has underperformed throughout his career. I’m not so sure I buy this. The man owns a career 2.92 ERA with a fantastic walk to strikeout ratio.

Syndergaard has, however, underperformed in one area. His attendance.

The last time Syndergaard took the mound for the Mets was on May 25th against the Milwaukee Brewers. He took the no-decision in a game his team lost.

This series is a good moment to pinpoint as the downward spiral. It aided them in finishing May on a low before reaching a new basement in June.

Surely, if Syndergaard was taking the mound every fifth day for the Mets over the last few weeks, things would look a little better. They would likely still have one of the worst records in baseball, but they would at least look a little more respectable.

Similarly, Yoenis Cespedes‘ 37 games played looks a lot worse. Jose Bautista has already played in just as many. Joey Bats wasn’t signed until May 22.

In any other year with any other scenario, we might view these Mets injuries as tough luck. After seeing so many ailments befall them in 2017 and again this year, it feels far less like self-pity and more like a big heavy sigh of frustration.

When will Syndergaard and Cespedes return? Nobody seems to have a clue.

Players like Lugo and Bautista are nice pieces. I like them on this team. But to see them as often as we have means there are big problems.

Next: Mets have two trade candidates for the Angels

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You can’t win games unless your stars are on the field. Lately, the Mets haven’t had any.

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