The Mets are off on Thursday. That’s great since they’ll get to stew in yet another disappointing series loss before arriving at Citizens Bank Park. The finale was especially brutal, and it should be a sign that it’s time to give Joey Lucchesi another shot.
New York lost to the Houston Astros 10-8. That’s bad enough since they’re now 34-40 and didn’t lose their 40th game in 2022 until the middle of August. But it’s how this loss came about that really stings. They were down 2-0 after the first inning but came back to take a 4-2 lead. Houston retook the lead in the bottom of the third. The Mets scored twice more in the top of the fourth, only to watch the Astros score three in the bottom half of the inning. And even after they inched closer by scoring two runs in the sixth, Houston got some insurance with a seventh-inning run.
What’s worse: immediately staring at a deficit in the first inning, or watching the pitching staff give the lead right back after the offense fights back? I’m not sure — both scenarios are a special kind of torture.
The Mets’ offense has had its problems this year. However, it’s clear that New York’s biggest issue right now is the pitching staff:
FINAL: Astros 10, Mets 8
The Mets have scored 7+ runs seven times in their last 22 games.
They are 1-6 in those games.
— Steve Gelbs (@SteveGelbs) June 21, 2023
Tylor Megill’s 2023 struggles continued on Wednesday, too. He lasted just 2.1 innings while allowing five runs (four earned) on four hits, four walks, and two strikeouts. His season-long ERA is up to 5.17, while his 17.7% strikeout rate and 11.9% walk rate would both be career-worst marks if the season ended today.
We can imagine that pitching will be a focus for general manager Billy Eppler at the upcoming trade deadline. If the Mets don’t end up deciding to sell, of course. But what could they do right now? The starting rotation isn’t changing all that much. Max Scherzer, Justin Verlander, and Kodai Senga certainly aren’t going anywhere. Carlos Carrasco should be on rocky ground, but he’s also likely safe for the time being. That leaves Megill, especially since he still has minor-league options remaining.
He’s had his moments in recent starts, but his ERA has progressively gotten worse. After posting a 3.96 mark in April, it jumped to 5.28 in May and is currently 6.75 in June. Meanwhile, Joey Lucchesi is dealing in Triple-A.
Through 46.1 innings with Syracuse, the southpaw is 5-1 with a 2.33 ERA, 1.06 WHIP, and 45 strikeouts. He’s been particularly good in June thus far. It’s only spanned two starts, but Lucchesi is 2-0 with a 1.32 ERA and 0.59 WHIP in 13.2 innings. He’s pitched into the seventh on each occasion, too.
There aren’t a bunch of drastic changes the Mets can make to the roster right now. We can assume they’re working on potential external additions as they’re still convinced this team can turn it around.
It feels like now is the time to give Megill a reset in Triple-A and recall Joey Lucchesi. At the very least, he can’t do much worse, right? And he’d be the lone left-hander in the Mets’ rotation, so maybe that’ll provide some kind of small benefit, as well.
You can reach Matt Musico at matt.musico@xlmedia.com. You can follow him on Twitter: @mmusico8.
