3 ways the Mets can get back in the saddle after a rough weekend

Washington Nationals v New York Mets
Washington Nationals v New York Mets / Jim McIsaac/GettyImages
2 of 3
Next

Losing two out of three to the Washington Nationals after taking two out of three from the Los Angeles Dodgers gives the New York Mets a strange stretch of games. How do you take down the best then lose to the worst? That’s baseball, Suzyn.

As easy of a schedule as it may look, the Mets still have to go out there and win these games. They have plenty more tomato can teams on the schedule but if the team isn’t going to execute then what good is it?

Mets fans might be feeling a little rough right now after the weekend. With these three ways, the team can do their best Aerosmith and get back in the saddle again.

1) NY Mets hitters need to start hitting

In the two Mets losses, it was the offense we can point at hardest. The games got a little out of hand later on as the weaker relievers entered. That’s going to happen and should be routinely expected from this ball club.

It wouldn’t have happened if the offense did what they were supposed to. The Nationals have consistently had one of the worst pitching staffs in baseball this season. Even Patrick Corbin was able to shut them down on Saturday.

There are a lot of culprits. Pete Alonso has only one hit so far this month. Francisco Lindor is barely better with three of them. This would include the finale against the Dodgers when we saw a much different Mets team complete a series victory.

Moving on next to face the Pittsburgh Pirates should hopefully give the Mets a kick in the rear-end to liven up again. The offense is beginning to become a bigger concern than the bullpen.

2) NY Mets starting pitchers need to dominate

Max Scherzer was good for the Mets in his start but he didn’t go deep enough. This allowed the wheels to come off and the Mets to drop the second game of the series. Things like this will happen.

Sunday’s story was a little different. Back from the IL, Carlos Carrasco left early and wasn’t all that good on the mound. It’s beginning to look like age is catching up with him quickly. While it’s just one start and it is after coming back from an injury, expectations for Cookie going forward should be limited.

The Mets starting pitching has been one of the most consistent parts of the season. Even in the absence of Scherzer and Jacob deGrom they’ve been strong. It wasn’t necessarily the major downfall of the weekend series against Washington. However, when the bats go silent, it’s hard to win without an ace-like performance.

We can blame the bullpen partially for this but let’s also remember that Buck Showalter went to his weaker relievers for many of those innings. There is a specific formula he has right now. There are relievers who pitch in games the Mets are leading and in games where they trail. Losing Trevor May does ache and will push someone that might not be ready for high-leverage situations into those important innings.

Fortunately, the only concern we should really have with the rotation right now is minor and it has to do with Scherzer leaving his start early. He is expected to return to full strength later this week for his next scheduled start.

Take a breath and make it big.

3) NY Mets need to remember they are brilliant at comebacks

It never quite seemed like the Mets were going to actually pull off a magic trick and win on Saturday or Sunday late. Despite the team showing off those groovy moves earlier in the year with some spectacular come-from-behind victories, the team felt a little deader this weekend.

Call it a “trap series” if you want to in honor of the NFL returning this month. After such a huge win against the Dodgers, the Mets seemed a little more lifeless against a much more beatable opponent.

It’s an odd situation the Mets are in right now. They are going to the postseason. It’s only a matter of whether or not they do it as the National League East winners or the top wild card spot. Nothing else seems possible outside of some sort of epic collapse.

Nobody with a reasonable thought should have believed the Mets would have gone undefeated in September or even come away with a series victory all the way through. As consistent as they have been from the start of the year, there were going to be some troubling games late. Averages catch up with everyone, even this team that always manages to sneak away with at least two out of three.

The panic button doesn’t need our fingerprint on it yet. It’s hovering there, though. The Atlanta Braves are taking care of their business against weak opponents. The Mets need to do the same. Next stop, Pittsburgh for 9 innings; don’t forget it lasts for 9.

NEXT STORY: 10 best free agents in the National League East this winter

Next