It only took 2 games for the NY Mets to remind us of their season-long criticisms

Two games into the second half of the 2025 season and the New York Mets wasted no time reminding us of a common fan frustration. An early exit from Sean Manaea on Friday, in part due to him still coming back from injury, left them twirling in the wind hoping for the best with Alex Carrillo on the mound. It didn’t go well.

The story wasn’t much different on Saturday. Clay Holmes failed to get through the sixth inning. Reed Garrett entered and a wide throw by Ronny Mauricio spoiled an opportunity to get out of things cleanly. The game quickly got out of hand, extending the Cincinnati Reds’ lead from 3-2 to 5-2. This would hold as the final score, leading us to question if things had stayed tighter if the results could have been differently.

The Mets are running into a lot of trouble in the sixth inning

After Saturday’s game, the Mets’ team ERA bumped up to 5.64 in the sixth inning. It’s one of the worst in the league with only non-contenders behind them.

The sixth inning can be a tricky one as it’s often the transition between starter and reliever. Starters weaken. Often it’s your biggest pushover in the bullpen who gets to handle the sixth inning.

Both Holmes and Griffin Canning have ERAs over 10.00 in the sixth inning alone. Huascar Brazoban is over 6.00. Reed Garrett is at 4.70. These are all players who one could say exceeded expectations. For whatever reason, it has been a thorn in their side.

The Mets still aren’t hitting with runners in scoring position

As if this wasn’t enough, the Mets again saw themselves fail to put a rally together late. Some early runs followed by a mid-game meltdown made a comeback a little too far out of reach. Juan Soto barely missed being the hero on Saturday just a day after providing the team with an early spark to open the second half.

Hitting with runners in scoring position remains a downfall of this ball club. They’re now slashing .230/.324/.405 in those opportunities. Soto has been one of the biggest culprits. He’s at .181/.327/.386. Only Pete Alonso is truly thriving in those chances, owning a team-best 1.144 OPS.

Two games won’t tell us where this Mets team is headed. An 0-2 record to kick it off, unfortunately, hints at what may ultimately lead to their season defeat. Their two games almost felt like repeats of each other. It’s starting to define insanity.