The New York Mets have struggled to begin a season that began with a ton of promise. Should we already start looking ahead to 2018?
It wasn’t too long ago that Noah Syndergaard called New York City a “Mets town.” At the time, these comments were laughably egregious. Now? Not much has really changed, except the Yankees are tied for the best record in the AL while their counterparts sit in the basement of the NL East.And this isn’t meant to disrespect Thor, who had to leave Sunday afternoon’s 23-5 loss to the Nationals in the second inning after experiencing some discomfort in his right side. He’s an otherworldly pitcher with transcendent talent who might’ve gotten ahead of himself to some degree.
His team has endured a rough start to the 2017 campaign.
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What a weekend it was for Terry Collins and the Mets, who came into this game with a chance to sweep the division-leading Nats. Following consecutive victories over Max Scherzer and Stephen Strasburg, the ceiling in this series appeared to be the roof or the sky … I guess.
But in case the past two games caused one to experience temporary amnesia, the finale of reminded you that the Mets are in a world of trouble. Two years removed from a World Series appearance, the Kings of New York City are sitting with the second-worst record in the NL.
The season isn’t over, obviously. Pennants aren’t won in April, though they can be lost this early. The Yankees stumbled out of the gate 8-16 last year and were never really able to rebound. Their roster paled in comparison to what Collins has at his disposal, but there’s a legitimate reason to have your hand just centimeters above that panic button.
Yoenis Cespedes is already on the disabled list with a strained hamstring, though the Mets are encouraged after the tests performed. Then again, they’re no stranger to screwing these types of prognoses up.
It would be shocking if Syndergaard didn’t end up on the DL with what appears to be some type of lat issue. He’s been dealing with injuries for the past few weeks or so.
So now we’re talking about a team that could be operating without its two best players with no cushion to fall back on as a safety blanket because through the first month, they’ve gone just 10-14.
If it is, in fact, a Mets down, then the city that never sleeps ought to hold their breath because this upcoming week is critical. Not only will you learn about the fate of your ace, but there are seven divisional games to be played (four against the Braves and three against the Marlins).
The last time they played the Braves, they lost both games (one was rained out). And the Marlins took 3-of-4 from them two weeks ago. No rest for the weary.
Nevertheless, it’s safe to say the brakes should be pumped on calling NYC a Mets town.
The rotation that everyone is waiting to exalt as the “best ever assembled” can’t go a full week without having someone get hurt. The offense has been inconsistent. It’s been a nightmare for the franchise that hasn’t won a championship in over three decades.
But after a painful month, it’s time to turn the page of the calendar with the possibility of those devastating April showers bringing forth prosperous May flowers.
