3 Up, 3 Down: Mets’ Skid Continues In Atlanta

The New York Mets are officially in free fall.

Talk about a tough stretch. The Mets are now riding a season-high six game losing streak after being swept by the Braves in Atlanta.

Very few things went right in this series. The starting rotation continues to show signs of regression. The offense was a no-show. The inability to cash in with runners on remains a huge problem. Oh, and injuries continue to bite.

All the while, the Mets continue to suffer at the hands of their old nemesis. As a result, New York’s division lead has been wiped out. Meanwhile, the door may have been opened back up for the Braves to sneak into the NL East race.

Overall, it was a forgettable three days in Atlanta for the slumping Mets, who now face a crucial run of divisional games against the Phillies and the Braves.

Before we turn our focus to the Phillies, though, let’s unpack everything from the Braves series in the latest edition of 3 Up, 3 Down…

3 UP

MAKING HISTORY

We could have very easily turned this into a ‘6 Down’ feature given how bad things were in Atlanta. There are very few positives to take from this series. However, God loves a trier. As such, we’re going to attempt to draw some good notes from the debacle against the Braves. Let’s start with Juan Soto. The superstar hitter went 2-for-3 with a home run in the opener. He then made history in the finale, recording the 1,000th hit of his career. Reminder – Soto is still only 26-years-old. As a result, he joins Hall of Famers Mel Ott and Mickey Mantle as the only three players in MLB history to collect 1,000 hits, 200 home runs and 700 walks before their 27th birthdays. Pretty impressive.

SHOWING SOMETHING

Tyrone Taylor quietly had a very productive series against the Braves. The outfielder went a combined 4-for-10 with a double, a home run, two runs scored and three RBIs in the three games. The highlight was the opener, with Taylor hitting a homer and a two-run double. Now hitting .237/.300/.348/.648 on the year, Taylor showed some signs of breaking out offensively during the series in Atlanta.

FINDING HIS GROOVE

Starling Marte continued on his current upward trajectory in Atlanta. The veteran knocked in three hits, including a double, in two games against the Braves. Yes, he grounded out in a big spot in the finale. But, overall, Marte is hitting .438/.471/.500/.971 over his last four games. Consequently, he’s continuing to show signs that he’s becoming more and more comfortable in a part-time role for the Mets.

3 DOWN

ICE-COLD OFFENSE

Okay, let’s get right to the meaty part of this edition of 3 Up, 3 Down. The bad. Because, boy, was there a lot of ugly in the sweep at the hands of the Braves. A hell of a lot of ugly.

Let’s start with the offense. The Mets managed just five runs and 18 hits in three games in Atlanta. Yes, the red-hot Chris Sale was the Braves’ starter for the shutout loss in the second game of the series. But, given the sheer amount of talent in that Mets lineup, scoring just five runs in any series is unacceptable. The big three of Soto, Francisco Lindor and Pete Alonso – particularly Lindor – simply didn’t do enough to put the entire lineup on their backs and help their team win baseball games. They have to be better. And, given the current state of the starting rotation, it is on the offense to now carry the load. They didn’t do that against the Braves. It also didn’t help that the Mets went a combined 2-for-15 with RISP, leaving a total of 14 runners stranded on base. That’s a problem that doesn’t show any signs of going away anytime soon.

ESCALATING CONCERN

What was once a strength is now rapidly becoming a house of horrors for the Mets. Statistically speaking, New York still has the best pitching staff in baseball. However, how much longer that continues to be the case remains to be seen. After all, the rotation can only stay afloat for a certain amount of time before all these injuries sink it.

Tylor Megill was placed on the IL with inflammation in his elbow earlier in the week. Frankie Montas will join the rotation next week, but confidence in the righty should be low after his rehab assignment nightmare. In terms of the pitching in Atlanta, it was brutal. Reed Garrett blew the save in the opener, paving the way for a gut-punch of a loss in extra-innings. Paul Blackburn was shelled in his second start of the year on Wednesday. He also wasn’t helped by his catcher, with Luis Torrens making a couple of costly errors. Then, in the finale, Clay Holmes walked six and gave up three earned runs in just 4 2/3 innings. Huascar Brazobán made matters worse, allowing four earned runs and three walks. All in all, the pitching is in the doldrums right now.

TIME FOR A RESET?

Francisco Alvarez is really going through it right now. The catcher is simply not hitting, and he also struggled defensively in the Atlanta series. Alvarez committed a series of defensive blunders in the opener, and his fingerprints can be found all over that loss. Furthermore, Alvarez is offering nothing offensively. He went a combined 0-for-6 with three strikeouts in two games against the Braves. As a result, he has now posted career-low marks in both slugging percentage (.305) and OPS (.621). There is now enough of a sample size to suggest that something is really amiss. Therefore, it might be beneficial for all parties if Alvarez spends some time in Triple-A for a much-needed reset.

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