SAN DIEGO — Now this historical comparison, I did not see coming as the Mets gathered their belongings to get the heck out of America’s classiest city, their season on the brink.
A 3-2 loss to the Padres on Wednesday afternoon at Petco Park gave the Mets a 1-5 record on this road trip and dropped them to 17-20 on the season, 4½ games behind the Phillies in the National League East. They are 4-10 in their last 14 games and 1-6-3 in their last 10 series, their offense largely dormant, their lack of pitching depth continuing to bite them, their manager’s job security destined to be a bigger discussion point with each step away from .500.
And when I asked Robinson Cano whether he was concerned, he responded, with disbelief, “Concerned?!” much as football coach Jim Mora once legendarily asked, “Playoffs?!”
“Great teams go through this kind of situation, always,” the veteran second baseman said. “I remember in ’09, we started 14-15, we won five games and then we were in first place right there. We’ve just got to keep grinding.”
Points to Cano for correctly recalling that his champion 2009 Yankees did start 14-15; actually, they went an even worse 15-17 before, as Cano cited, their turnaround began with a five-game winning streak. That they didn’t actually climb atop the American League East until Game 48, and not for good until Game 93, is incidental.
As for the actual comp, though? It’s awfully optimistic. These Mets continue to look more lost than Donald Trump Jr. at an Indigo Girls concert, and they’re nowhere as talented as those ’09 Yankees, including 36-year-old Cano versus 26-year-old Cano. It felt particularly dispiriting for them to follow up Tuesday’s exciting win, courtesy of Pete Alonso’s ninth-inning, tiebreaking, mammoth homer, with such a snoozer.
“We have to do better,” Callaway said afterward, speaking tougher words with a firmer tone than we had witnessed previously this past week.
This was a weird one, filled not with egregious incompetence but rather with unusual scenarios that, had the Mets executed better on them, could have won them the game. Amed Rosario, his back to home plate, couldn’t quite track down Franmil Reyes’ third-inning flare to short left field, the ball landing on the grass and scoring Padres starting pitcher Matt Strahm from second base. Michael Conforto, standing on second base, felt like he could’ve done a better job reading Brandon Nimmo’s seventh-inning blast that San Diego center fielder Manuel Margot brought back into the ballpark and had in his glove, only to not hold onto it; Conforto had to stop at third on Nimmo’s one-out double and didn’t score, keeping the game tied. Margot had also robbed Alonso of a homer with a sixth-inning catch.
And after Hunter Renfroe put the home team ahead with a solo homer off Tyler Bashlor in the bottom of the seventh, the Mets put men on first and second with two outs in the ninth and Callaway stuck with Tomas Nido over regular catcher Wilson Ramos, a better career hitter — as a reward for Nido’s strong day, the manager said. Maybe he should’ve gone with Ramos. Although maybe not, given Ramos’ poor .227/.282/.295 slash line this season. In any case, Nido, who homered and singled earlier, struck out to end the game.
Now what for this sad-sack bunch? Veteran Jed Lowrie, his rehabilitation (left knee) complete, should be ready Friday for his Mets debut, and the team must hope he doesn’t catch the same over-30-itis that has plagued Cano, Todd Frazier and Ramos. To make room for Lowrie, the Mets should jettison extra outfielder Keon Broxton, who has been terrible.
The other “Now what” is the schedule oasis. Here comes a 2 ¹/₂-week stretch featuring six games with baseball’s worst team (the Marlins), seven with baseball’s most disappointing team (the Nationals) and three with baseball’s most boring team (the Tigers). So if you’re the betting type, wager on Callaway still writing out the team’s lineup card May 27 at Dodger Stadium, when the slate toughens up again.
“I’ve got a lot of confidence in this team,” Cano said, “so I think I’m the last guy who’s going to be worried.”
He’s either a visionary or a denier. Given that these are the Mets we’re discussing, the odds heavily favor the latter.
