NY Mets series-ending loss to White Sox further emphasized 2 concerning truths

In a three-game home series with lots of momentum against a now 18-38 team, the New York Mets did what they've been good at doing all season: winning the series. As valuable as that is, the team was unable to pull off a series sweep of the Chicago White Sox after losing in Wednesday's series finale 9-4. It was overall a sloppy performance on both sides of the diamond, and Griffin Canning didn't have his best stuff on the mound. However, the loss itself isn't the worst part about this pivot point.

There is a broader picture to consider when looking at the entire state of the team heading into their next series against the Colorado Rockies, beginning on Friday, May 30. Based on what happened in Wednesday's game, there are a couple of concerns on the team's hands that are now bigger than before.

NY Mets' struggles with ground balls and runners in scoring position are two looming concerns after White Sox series

The Mets often struggle to turn ground balls into outs, which has resulted in damage just about every time it happens. This problem came back to bite them in Wednesday's game, after Brett Baty and Jeff McNeil each made errors in the field that led to two White Sox runs in the second inning.

On top of the errors committed Wednesday, the Mets have a couple of infield players who have each made seven errors, which is the most of any player on the team so far this year: Francisco Lindor and Mark Vientos. For the most part, those errors were via ground balls. Clearly, after Wednesday's game, the inability to get outs from ground balls is hurting the team, because not only are unearned runs being scored, but these errors are being committed by key players who should be trusted.

For the record, the Mets have committed 26 errors so far in 2025, and they have mostly come from the infield. It will be difficult to keep opposing teams from scoring if this issue continues.

The other issue has been an ongoing problem all season long, and in recent years as well. The lack of a big hit with runners in scoring position is still plaguing the Mets, and Wednesday's game was no exception. They went 2-for-12 in that category on Wednesday, which led to a low scoring output of just four runs.

The Mets are now batting .211 with runners in scoring position. Players like Juan Soto, for example, have been a large part of this issue. He is currently batting .130 and has just six hits in this category, so he is one of the reasons why they're struggling to get runners in from second and third base. Vientos and Lindor also have averages in the .100s.

For a team currently with a 34-22 record and sitting in second place in the National League East, these two issues are going to have to be addressed by the time they play a Rockies team with a worse record than the White Sox.