Gary Cohen, Jeff Passan put exclamation point on another terrible NY Mets loss to the Cubs

The New York Mets hit a new low of an already painful season after getting swept in a doubleheader against the Chicago Cubs at Citi Field, losing any remaining positioning in their chase for a playoff spot. The combined 20 runs allowed across both games were bad enough, but the second game was in a different category entirely. The Mets committed six errors in the infield, with every starting infielder recording at least one, including three of the six coming from Gold Glove winners. The night ended with one final blow. ESPN's Jeff Passan reported that the Mets agreed to send lefty David Peterson to Chicago in exchange for prospect Cole Mathis, a clear signal that the organization is already operating in early sell mode ahead of the trade deadline.

What made the night truly memorable, for all the wrong reasons, was the reaction of play-by-play announcer Gary Cohen during the broadcast. After Mark Vientos' second error in the ninth inning, Cohen couldn't hold back: "I mean, what do you say at this point? I mean, this team is in the depths of despair. Can't get starting pitching to hold the other team at bay. Struggling with their offense, and now the defense falls apart." Cohen, who has called Mets baseball for more than three decades and rarely abandons his broadcast professionalism, called the six errors "unprecedented." Ron Darling put the focus on players being forced to play out of position, eventually saying the organization must question whether this team is good enough to win this season. When the team's own broadcasters reach that point, the situation no longer requires interpretation.

David Stearns promised run prevention but the numbers delivered the opposite

David Stearns was explicit after the 2025 season,: "Run prevention is where we fell short this year. It's where we need to get better." That declaration became the guiding principle of the entire offseason. The Mets brought in Marcus Semien to form a double-play combination with Francisco Lindor, bet on a bounce-back from Sean Manaea, and bet on the development of young arms like Nolan McLean and Jonah Tong.

Stearns added in January that the Mets needed "more innings from their rotation" and that he had confidence in the group available while seeking to add pieces. He acquired Freddy Peralta, who has been unable to consistently surpass five innings per start. The diagnosis was correct. The execution was not. Through 80 games, the team has allowed more runs than what they have prevented, a negative run differential that explains a record falling well short of what their payroll promised on paper.

The most telling irony lies in David Peterson's file. Peterson posted an ERA north of 6.00 with the Mets across 68 innings this season, but his FIP was nearly half that figure, with a ground-ball rate of 51.1%. In other words, Peterson was generating exactly the kind of contact a run-prevention pitching approach needs. Still, the defense behind him converted those grounders into runs that should never have scored. Passan said as much when reporting the trade, going from the Mets' infield defense to the best in baseball in Chicago could do wonders for Peterson's numbers. The Mets didn't trade Peterson because he stopped pitching well. They traded him because the defensive context they built made him fail.

Mets fans at Citi Field began chanting Pete Alonso's name at different points during the game, the first baseman the Mets let walk in the offseason in the name of shorter contracts and less financial commitment. Alonso is now posting the best defensive numbers of his career in Baltimore. The infield that committed six errors last Wednesday included the very players Stearns brought in to improve run prevention. In April, Stearns was still defending the process: "I'm happy with our defense. Run prevention as sort of the whole, pitching plus defense, we've had moments that have been really, really good and we've had a couple of moments that haven't been so good." There is no longer any way to defend that position. The Mets' offseason was built on a promise. On Wednesday, June 24th, at Citi Field, Gary Cohen put the final period on it.

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