Palladino: Crucial Mets Stretch Continues With More Big Boys On The Menu
By Ernie Palladino
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It's too late to worry about how Daniel Murphy has made it his mission to torture the Mets.
They have bigger things on their minds than the incredible success Murphy has had against his former teammates. The remainder of this monster stretch is far too important to dwell on what horrors one player could potentially perpetrate on Terry Collins' struggling mess heading into the All-Star break.
To summarize, the Mets have three games remaining in this series against the Cubs, who lost 4-3 Thursday as Jeurys Familia escaped from a bases-loaded jam in the ninth. Chicago still owns the best record in baseball, though.
Then comes three against the second-place Marlins. And then it winds up with four more against the division-leading Nationals who, if one hadn't noticed, just swept three from the Mets while limiting them to six runs total.
If this unwatchable offensive disaster of the first half of the season continues, this very stretch could bury the Mets as far as playoff contention. A four-game losing streak put them a half-game back of the last wild card, though Thursday's win put them right back to the good side of the race. But a collapse against an outstanding Chicago staff could sink them right down to .500.
And then they'd still have seven games against tough competition to go before the much-needed break to regroup.
Don't be fooled by the latest win. The Cubs all but gave that one away when second baseman Javier Baez threw Neil Walker's seventh-inning bouncer past third, allowing Alejandro De Aza and Brandon Nimmo to score the tying and go-ahead runs.
That doesn't exactly qualify as a struggling lineup's coming-out party. It's a start, but it is also unlikely the Cubs will be that gracious a guest the rest of the way.
And the rest of the way gets harder now.
Jason Hammel takes his 7-4 record and 2.58 ERA into Friday's game against Jacob deGrom. To underline how a timely offensive explosion would look to deGrom, well, think about a parched wanderer in the desert stumbling upon an oasis. He'd be ecstatic, considering the lineup has supported him with exactly two runs in his last 35 innings. And that includes Kelly Johnson's 11th-inning homer in his 1-0 no-decision June 25.
Those numbers look downright cheery compared to the offense he's received when he's actually on the mound. They haven't scored a single run for him in 21 straight innings.
Hammel, though, has fallen off since a hot start and has gone 0-2, 3.38 in his last three outings. That doesn't make him an easy touch. The way the Mets are producing right now, they might be just what the doctor ordered for Hammel. After all, it was the rookie Nimmo who produced the only hit with a runner in scoring position during their 1-for-8 showing Thursday.
They entered the game with a majors-worst .205 batting average with RISP.
Cubs ace Jake Arrieta strolls by Saturday. He's having some control issues, as evidenced by 20 walks in his last 40 innings. But there's no doubting his potential to turn things around after a season-high five-run outing against the Reds.
His overall record still sits at 12-2 with a 2.10 ERA and 111 strikeouts, four behind Sunday starter Noah Syndergaard's eighth-highest major league total.
Syndergaard is battling through his own problems, given the bone spur in his right elbow. But he'll pitch through it as Collins holds his breath that nothing more dire happens to that valuable wing.
Things won't get much easier, though, considering Jon Lester is 9-3, 2.03 for the season and 1-0, 2.61 over his last three.
While Collins' rotation hasn't imploded, the lineup hasn't supported it, either. But a resurgence against the Cubs -- and heaven knows where that's going to come from at this point -- would provide a much-needed emotional boost heading into the final pre-break week.
But with slumping Curtis Granderson adding to the litany of the wounded -- walking or otherwise -- with a sore right calf, an already thin offense took another hit. He won't be back for the next couple of days, even to pinch hit.
The only things the Mets can really count on at this point is Collins and Citi Field. He's a motivator, and he'll keep them fighting. And they'll get to fight that battle at home, where they went into Thursday with a 19-16 record. Hardly commanding, but better than losing.
Still, it was obvious in the Nationals' sweep that Collins' lineup just doesn't stack up consistently against the big boys. And that's what the menu offers as they head toward the All-Star game.
Doesn't sound particularly appetizing, does it?
Follow Ernie on Twitter at @ErniePalladino
