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New York Mets starting pitcher Max Scherzer Sam Navarro-USA TODAY Sports

Why floundering Mets are in such a sorry state

By Zak Musso | Last updated 5/10/23

Entering the season, the Mets were a World Series favorite. Now, they are floundering in the NL East at 17-19 and trailing the first-place Braves by eight games.

The pitching staff is the culprit for many of the team's woes. It ranks 23rd in ERA (4.82) and has given up the third-most home runs (52) and third-most walks (138).

Co-ace Max Scherzer has an abysmal 5.56 ERA, and in late April, he was suspended for 10 games following his ejection from a game for having a foreign substance on his hand. On Tuesday, he was scratched from the start due to a neck strain. Scherzer is also dealing with right scapula discomfort.

Over the last four weeks, Max Scherzer has logged just 6 1/3 innings. The Mets' rotation has a 5.34 ERA (24th in majors), 5.94 FIP (29th) and 11.5 percent walk rate (30th).
— Will Sammon (@WillSammon) May 9, 2023

Meanwhile, starters Carlos Carrasco and Jose Quintana are on the injured list. David Peterson, Tylor Megill and Joey Lucchesi have taken their places in the rotation. All three have ERAs higher than 4.30.

In positive Mets pitching news, Justin Verlander looked sharp in his return last week, and Kodai Senga has been masterful early in his rookie season. In the bullpen, David Robertson has been one of the best relievers in the bigs, posting a 0.63 ERA and six saves in 14.1 innings.

Those three pitchers may have to shoulder a big load the rest of the way.

Unlike the pitching staff, Mets position players are relatively healthy, but they're not playing well. New York is 22nd in MLB in batting average (.236), 19th in slugging (.389) and 17th in OPS (.713).

The Mets' lack of power was their Achilles' heel in 2022, and it's an issue this season, too. First baseman Pete Alonso is the only Met who has more than six home runs. New York is leaving 3.8 runners in scoring position per game, tied for third worst in MLB.

Lineup regulars Mark Canha, Starling Marte and Francisco Lindor are all hitting below .225. Rookies Francisco Alvarez and Brett Baty, meanwhile, are bright spots, especially recently.

Alvarez started slowly but has turned it on as of late, hitting .322 over his last 31 at-bats with three homers and five RBI. Two of those home runs came in Tuesday's 7-6 loss at Cincinnati. Baty has torn up MLB pitchers since being called up in mid-April.

Also on the bright side, Brandon Nimmo and Jeff McNeil are off to hot starts. Alonso's average is just .237, but he is tied for the league lead in homers and tied for the fifth most RBI.

Everything that could go wrong has gone wrong for the Mets so far in 2023. New York is 1-6 in its past seven games and 3-12 in the past 15. The Amazins have just two wins in May.

The lineup and pitching staff are too talented to not turn things around. The payroll is just under $380 million, according to Spotrac. Owner Steve Cohen is not spending that kind of money to field a .500 team.

The good news for New York is there are 126 games to go. The Braves overcame a 10.5-game deficit to the Mets in 2022 to win the NL East. But if New York's play doesn't improve by July, this could be a long summer for Mets fans.

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