2 reasons Mets fans should panic after the Mariners sweep, 1 reason we shouldn’t

Getting swept in 3 straight by the Seattle Mariners doesn’t make a team feel good. The New York Mets ended their tumultuous 10-game road trip in 4 cities with one of the most putrid offensive performances possible. As much as we’d love to point fingers, we only have 10 to go around.

Accompanying the mayhem was mediocre starting pitching, unsuccessful relief work, and a solo Jeff McNeil home run to at least prevent history from happening. The Mets looked weak by the end.

Do we panic? I’ll give you two reasons why you should be worried and one why you shouldn’t.

Panic because the Mets weren’t even close in any of these games against a desperate team

The Mariners dominated the Mets with their pitching but c’mon now. They were backed up against a corner. They hadn’t been playing good baseball. When the series began, the Mets had a better record.

Seattle is now chasing a Houston Astros club that decided to toy with them. Seemingly taking the 2024 season off, they’ve recently moved ahead of a Mariners club that we were told couldn’t hit. They proved us wrong with Sunday’s Home Run Derby highlighting the best of what they can do.

The Mets weren’t even close in any of these games, though. Sunday was a wash. A day prior, three runs allowed by Sean Manaea in the first inning immediately put them in a hole. They didn’t have an extra-base hit all night. They had four singles and not one Mets player reached second base.

Friday was the most competitive game they played. Unfortunately, they left 8 runners on and were 0 for 8 with runners in scoring position. Jose Quintana kept them in the game. By the end, they were left miles behind.

Three uncompetitive efforts in a row. This is unacceptable.

Don’t panic because the Mets did about what we should’ve expected

Tell us the Mets are playing 10 in a row in 4 cities without revealing the opponents and we’d be satisfied with a 4-6 record at the end. This is what the Mets delivered. A victory against the Los Angeles Angels, one against the Cardinals, and two versus the Rockies at least helped them avoid what feels far more disastrous than what it was when we look at the bigger picture.

A 5-5 gauntlet would’ve been preferred. Looking at this as “one win shy” is probably a little too glass half-full for some but a good message to help calm the nerves.

It’s always how you finish that matters most with emotions in a series. When the Mets took 2 of 4 from the Braves, it felt worse because the losses closed out the series. What if it was the other way around?

How the Mets respond to getting their bats toasted in Seattle will tell us a lot about this ball club. The much-needed day off on Monday should be a time for them to regroup, reexamine, and make any necessary adjustments.

The Oakland Athletics are a good team to have waiting for you to take your anger out on. The Mets left several wins against inferior opponents on the floor then no-showed against the best team they faced. Save your panic for this homestand. If the Mets fail there, you’ll have no choice but to wave your arms around wildly like a muppet.