Things have been rough for the Mets in recent weeks. On April 21st, they were 14-7 and sitting pretty with two games left on their West Coast road trip. But since that moment, they’ve seemingly forgotten how to play consistently good baseball.
New York has posted a 4-13 record since Joey Lucchesi tossed a gem in his big-league return from Tommy John surgery. And there have been some uninspiring losses mixed in there. They’ve been shut out on four different occasions, were swept by the Detroit Tigers, and were nearly swept by the Washington Nationals. The Mets haven’t won a series since taking two of three against the Los Angeles Dodgers from April 17-19.
As I sit here and write this, it’s only May 12th. The boys are just 3-8 this month, and the schedule won’t be getting any easier after four games in DC against the Nationals this weekend. But if you’re already frustrated with what you’ve watched over the past two and a half weeks, don’t you dare look below to see who they’ll be playing in June.
I know — I couldn’t help myself, either. Here it is:
We are going to die pic.twitter.com/dvGsWNxQe5
— jack (@Jolly_Olive) May 11, 2023
Now, if you ask any Mets fan which month of the season is among their least favorite, June has to be a contender for the top spot. New York went 13-12 in June last season. But before then, the last time the Mets posted a winning record during that calendar month was in 2012. Yes, you read that right, 2012!
The only times they’ve gotten close to having a winning June since then were in 2017 and 2021. They went 14-14 and 15-15, respectively, in those years. And if we look at how New York’s June opponents are currently performing, there won’t be a lot of opportunities to breathe:
- Philadelphia Phillies: 18-19 record
- Toronto Blue Jays: 21-16
- Atlanta Braves: 25-12
- Pittsburgh Pirates: 21-17
- New York Yankees: 21-18
- St. Louis Cardinals: 13-25
- Houston Astros: 19-18
- Milwaukee Brewers: 20-17
- San Francisco Giants: 17-20
But let’s play devil’s advocate for a second. Could facing a bunch of winning teams will actually get them on track? As it stands right now, the Mets are 10-9 against teams with a winning record, but 8-11 against teams with a losing record. And we’ve seen how this current stretch against “weaker teams” has gone.
I don’t know, folks. June doesn’t look great, but I suppose we should first focus on getting through the rest of May. The above tweet is like nightmare fuel, though.
You can reach Matt Musico at matt.musico@xlmedia.com. You can follow him on Twitter: @mmusico8.