Keidel: Mets Will Eventually Start Hitting, And Then Watch Out
By Jason Keidel
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The Mets have banked on the baseball truism that pitching wins.
But even a staff as young and gifted as they have needs some support from the batter's box.
The sense in sports, particularly over a sprawling baseball season, is that if you split your road games and win the bulk of your home games you should contend for the playoffs.
But the Mets are limping home after a 5-5 road trip. It left a bitter taste in the their mouths because they were 5-3 before gagging the last two against the mediocre Milwaukee Brewers. the losses left the Mets (34-28) perilously closer to .500 overall.
The Mets' flight to another Fall Classic has met some turbulence, particularly with the bats creating no thunder of late. Over their last 10 games they're averaging just over three runs per game.
It doesn't help that David Wright's prognosis reads like an EKG. It doesn't help that blue chip prospect Michael Conforto is 18-for-119 (.151) since May 1. It doesn't help that fellow blue chipper Travis D'Arnaud is on the disabled list. It doesn't help that since signing with the Washington Nationals, Daniel Murphy has morphed into Stan Musial. It doesn't help that his replacement, Neil Walker, left Saturday's game and didn't start Sunday.
The Mets may have hit a healthy cluster of home runs. They are third in the NL, with 83, but that's rather misleading.
They are 13th out of 15 NL teams in runs scored, 12th in batting average (.233), 10th in on-base percentage (.309), 14th in hits (480), 10th in total bases (838), 12th in doubles, and, despite playing in a quasi-cavernous park, are 13th in triples (8).
Friday was a perfect microcosm. In a game they won, the Mets were just 1-for-12 with runners in scoring position.
It all adds up to an enervated, not energized, offense in 2016 that has scored a paltry 229 runs in 62 games, an average of 3.69 per game. If you think perhaps they make up for it with stellar base-running, think again. David Wright, who is 33, half as fast as he used to be, and brutalized with back ailments, actually leads the team in steals, with three.
The good news is the Mets still have a conveyor belt of blessed arms. Add to that the fact that Matt Harvey is finally returning to "Dark Knight" form. With three straight, impressive starts, Harvey's ERA has slowly dipped from the eyesore of 6.08 to 4.46. Over his last 20 innings, the ace right-hander has allowed just two runs.
Add to that the fact that Zack Wheeler is inching toward a return to the mound. After a brief blip of bad games, Jeurys Familia has returned to savior form. They need some more arms in the bullpen. But other than the Yankees -- owners of the most holy bullpen trinity in the sport -- who doesn't?
What does this all mean? Beyond the obvious, that the Mets need to hit to be competitive. They still are above .500, just a few games (4.5) from first place, and still have the abundant pitching that made them NL chalk in April.
So don't fret, sweat, or surrender. Sure, when you're not hitting it looks like you're not trying. Despite the Mets' anemic performance at the plate, Yoenis Cespedes is looking much like the player that practically carried the club to October last year. And while they look moronic for letting Murphy, last fall's Paul Bunyon, stroll down I-95 and tear up the sport this spring, Walker has been more than a capable successor.
The Mets are in the mix despite their erratic play. And they will start hitting eventually. You can always bank on the two golden longhairs, Noah Syndergaard and Jacob deGrom, and, suddenly, Steven Matz is creeping up the totem pole (Sunday notwithstanding). The suddenly resurgent Harvey makes four. A healthy Wheeler makes five. If not, you have the chubby, cherubic, ageless wonder Bartolo Colon to round out the rotation.
Once the Mets get their batting groove back, they will be well on their way to contending for another NL East crown. So despite the poor optics of poor hitting, they have a lot going in their favor.
And you've got a lot to look forward to.
Follow Jason on Twitter at @JasonKeidel
