On the time of the commerce deadline, the Mets have been 57-50, tied for second within the NL wild-card race and only a half-game behind Atlanta for the highest spot.
Since then, that they had misplaced 9 of 14 earlier than Friday’s 7-3 win over the Marlins and have slipped out of a wild-card spot.
On Friday, president of baseball operations David Stearns acknowledged the current shaky play over the earlier two weeks.
“We’ve performed very inconsistent baseball,’’ Stearns mentioned. “I imagine on this roster. I feel we’ve received a roster that works. We all know to get to the playoffs, now we have to play higher than now we have within the current stretch.”
That features slicing down within the walks division, which was particularly damaging in Thursday’s ugly loss to Oakland, when the Mets walked a season-high 11 batters.
That’s a part of a yearlong battle, for the reason that Mets have walked probably the most batters within the Nationwide League.
Sean Manaea and Jose Butto mixed to stroll simply two Friday night time.
“It’s a mixture of a variety of issues,” supervisor Carlos Mendoza mentioned. “With among the guys within the rotation and on the workers, I really feel like at instances we’re nibbling method an excessive amount of and never attacking hitters, not trusting their stuff and never letting the protection play.”
However pitching coach Jeremy Hefner mentioned it was extra sophisticated.
He argues the excessive stroll price that, at 3.90 per 9 innings, is twenty ninth in MLB — forward of solely the lowly White Sox — is a byproduct of the workers’s numerous arsenals.
“We’ve got some guys which have swing-and-miss stuff and typically you stroll batters while you try this,’’ Hefner mentioned.
He famous that as a result of the Mets are fifth within the majors with a 9.01 strikeout per 9 innings price, the walks are considerably much less of a priority.
And Hefner additionally added a lot of their pitchers have tended to stroll batters all through their profession, so it’s not one thing that’s crept up simply this season.
“Our method hasn’t modified in any respect,” Hefner mentioned. “We’re positively not making an attempt to nibble or not pitch to contact.”
What he did hope the staff improved upon was making higher pitches in sure conditions.
“We are saying once we’re behind within the depend, throw your greatest strike pitch and while you’re forward, throw your greatest miss pitch,” Hefner mentioned. “That’s the half we haven’t executed the very best half with.”
However they’ve walked loads of batters all through the season, which Hefner mentioned is sure to occur when you have got pitchers that don’t throw laborious, like Jose Quintana and Paul Blackburn, and might’t afford to throw it down the center of the plate.
And when the staff was taking part in effectively, Hefner mentioned the quantity of walks the staff issued wasn’t thought-about an issue, since they have been normally capable of restrict the harm that comes with including additional baserunners.
“I’m not giddy in regards to the quantity of walks, however you may’t simply inform guys to not stroll individuals,’’ Hefner mentioned.
Adam Ottavino, a veteran of many stable pitching staffs, mentioned he was mystified by the numbers.
“It positively sucks,” mentioned the right-hander, whose stroll numbers are high quality this season. “I don’t get it although. We’re not doing something incorrect when it comes to what we’re telling guys. All people understands they should get forward in counts.”
“Whatever the causes, we are able to’t stroll that many guys,’’ Stearns mentioned. “You’ll be able to’t constantly win baseball video games with that many free passes.”
