3 wake-up calls for the NY Mets in their doubleheader sweep vs. the Orioles

2) The Mets can’t keep relying on the same misfits on the mound

Peterson had a brilliant day. Stanek was lousy, but even the best relievers have an off-day; not that he has been one of the best this year. The Mets threw together what was essentially a bullpen game in the afternoon matchup. Brandon Waddell had one of his weaker outings. Justin Hagenman was pretty much the same with Richard Lovelady against proving there’s no place for him on this team so why do they keep bringing him back?

It’s exhausting for the Mets to continually have the need to turn to these same pitchers who probably don’t belong in the major leagues. Rico Garcia got into the game later, offering 2.2 shutout innings. It was the lone bright spot in a game where the offense practically shut down after the first inning.

Demanding better pitchers is easier said than done at this point of the year. Significant trade deadline moves won’t happen for a few more weeks. Even then, how far is David Stearns willing to go to improve the bullpen? He was skittish when it came to massive deals last year. We saw the San Diego Padres flush their farm system in order to rent Tanner Scott while pairing him alongside Jason Adam in their relief corps.

What’s the 2025 version of a broken record on repeat? Whatever it is, it has become exhausting to keep bringing up the name Nolan McLean. He struck out 10 in 6 shutout innings the day prior. The Mets had a chance to use him as a starter in the second game and save us from what was not their best effort even on paper.

Brooks Raley should be one of the first to help out alongside the returns of Kodai Senga and Sean Manaea from the IL. Still, the team needs to start considering some other depth pieces of quality. They’ve already drained the well when a pitcher like Garcia is becoming one of your most trustworthy arms.